Photo by KeithBacongco
As I turned the corner of 8th and 140th, I glanced over to watch a mother and her children waiting to cross the street. One of the children slipped away, and was no longer connected to the chain of hands. The mother quickly sensed this change, and casually brought her child closer so that he did not step off into the crowded street.
I’m not a parent, but I’m starting to better understand what parents do, which is to protect their children from harms way. When insecurity presents itself, parents will do almost anything to counteract it.
I read newspapers, watch the news, and talk with different people about the various wars being fought on various fronts throughout the world. An absolute reason for why humans continue to take life from itself has yet to be discovered. But when people seek security, and perceive a lack of it, good and bad decisions are made.
Often times, people feel more secure by making others feel insecure. But if I don’t feel secure and I make efforts to ensure that you don’t feel secure, then what…
Mutual insecurity isn’t good for anyone.
If countries, cultures, and networks of people want to increase their security, they are better off making others who share different views and experiences feel similarly secure in them. This does not mean that one needs to agree with the values and/or practices of others, but accept that they do exist, for they cannot be changed by declaring and imposing a so-called “one right way to live” -whatever that may be.
Rejecting all that is different and that which makes one feel insecure may work from time to time, but in the long run, mutual insecurity causes precarious situations.
