It’s commonly said that we live in a society that has great fear surrounding us. “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” is the famous quote, but how often do people really listen to this message? While it’s of course important to keep ourselves safe and our families in good health, we can’t let fear get the best of us. It’s a great idea to make sure workplaces are safe, with fall protection and rail guard installed where they are required, but when keeping our own idea of safety intact borders on becoming damaging to ourselves and others, we need to rethink the kind of society we take part in.

The events of September 11 ultimately, made the largest effect on our perceived security of the world. Terrorism was certainly in existence, but it was not in the top of our minds. When the attacks occurred Al-Qaeda terrorists were quickly fingered as the perpetrators of the violence, and counter measures were eagerly put in place by the Bush administration.

The response made by the regime of George Bush and Dick Cheney is among the most controversial perhaps since Vietnam. The decision to invade Iraq, a place where it was acknowledged Osama Bin Laden had no connection to, and the only noteable reason to invade was a large amount of oil stocks and a chance to engage in wider penetration through the Middle East, is one that was at first considered a conspiracy theory, but now is the majority view of the truth. There can be no doubt that the Obama campaign would have gotten little chance of victory had the decisions of two terms of Bush’s reign not been so disastrous to American security.

It’s here that we can see an interesting irony about fear and the desire for security. While many rallied behind Bush whole-heartedly as they thought this was best for our security, the reality is that this giving into worry was what ultimately has caused us to be a less safe country to live in, as the damage caused by Bush to the global standing of the US has been massive.

Today, there is another fear present in our world such as the fear of climate change and global warming. Is this fear justified? One of the major points of contrast between global warming and the fear of terrorism is that there is not a real enemy to battle against when it comes to global warming. In fact, those who trust that climate change evidence is present; are less and less likely to believe their government. A belief in a widespread terrorism threat, though, leads us to look to support the power structure that is already in place.

In conclusion, we need to think deeply and well about any aspect of our lives that brings fear out within us. By disconnecting our thoughts momentarily from our fear, and looking dispassionately at the evidence we have, we can make an educated decision as to the kind of measures need to be taken to keep ourselves and our families safe.