reflection week 9

This week we discussed security and all that it entails both on a national and a personal level. The article we read about terrorism and fear tactics as relating to security struck me the most primarily because the whole time I was reading it I was nodding my head. This was because I agreed with everything that was written. I agree that there are dangers in the world and that we should take precautions to prevent terrible things from happening but I do not think that means that you should stop going about your everyday business. You could be hit by a car on your way to work anytime, anywhere but that does not stop you from going to work or doing the tasks you need to do. You could choose never to leave your room because something MIGHT happen to you but then you would spend your entire life locked away from the world without experiencing everything the world has to offer and you would eventually die, but would you have really lived? That should not, however, prevent you from putting on your seatbelt because you never know when something terrible will happen and putting on a seatbelt does not mean that you are cohering under your bed.
I think it is a similar situation for national security because we, as a nation, should not change or character as a free and democratic society in order to eliminate threats. We should take measures to protect ourselves but not at the expense of the things that make us who we are as a country because then we are ceasing to live our lives and we are giving those who seek to harm us a distinct victory over us anyway. Therefore we might as well stick to our guns and win honorably.
Furthermore, many times we cannot do anything to prevent threats and therefore there is no point in worrying about it. When the government raises the terror alert people get scared and worried but they do not have the power to prevent a massive terror attack and then their quality of life decreases even though they cannot do anything to mitigate the situation.
Erica Peterson