Travel
A sad comment on the state of our world.
I have just spent the last 10 minutes combing my backpack, trying to find and eliminate anything that might remotely be construed as some component of some device which might be used to harm another person.
We are flying to Seattle tomorrow for a friend's wedding. I had my tweezers confiscated by an overzealous airport security guard on a previous trip, so I have had a firsthand taste of the New Normal. And each time I think of whether or not a paper clip or pen in my bag might set the antennae wiggling, I am reminded of why we need to be so diligent, and I am sad.
Now, when I wake up in the morning and hear some mundane and trivial city hall story lead the news, I breathe a sigh of relief, because it means that nothing horrible has happened overnight. And no, I am not naive enough to think that if the CBC doesn't report it, it didn't happen (or, of course, the corollary, that if they did, it must be true). But it does say something about the reality in which we now operate, when the unthinkable is no longer unthinkable, but something we are hoping to avoid or prevent. We no longer feel invincible. We never were invincible. We mourn the loss of our sense of safety, but in getting on with life, we incorporate the knowledge that anything can happen. Anything did happen. It was a loss of innocence, as much as a loss of lives.
So I will do my part. I will not knowingly bring anything onto the plane which might turn out to be useful for some nefarious purpose. And I will think of the price, in lives, that North America has paid, to make this mentality necessary. Nothing will ever be the same again. We walk on eggshells. I don't see this as progress, as some changes are. This is both deeper and more superficial. It is about anger, hatred, religious doctrine. It is about a sense of violation and righteous indignation. It is about self-preservation.
I will post from Seattle, if I have time, assuming I am not hauled off the plane and detained for matters pertaining to national security, or having too much fun.
I have just spent the last 10 minutes combing my backpack, trying to find and eliminate anything that might remotely be construed as some component of some device which might be used to harm another person.
We are flying to Seattle tomorrow for a friend's wedding. I had my tweezers confiscated by an overzealous airport security guard on a previous trip, so I have had a firsthand taste of the New Normal. And each time I think of whether or not a paper clip or pen in my bag might set the antennae wiggling, I am reminded of why we need to be so diligent, and I am sad.
Now, when I wake up in the morning and hear some mundane and trivial city hall story lead the news, I breathe a sigh of relief, because it means that nothing horrible has happened overnight. And no, I am not naive enough to think that if the CBC doesn't report it, it didn't happen (or, of course, the corollary, that if they did, it must be true). But it does say something about the reality in which we now operate, when the unthinkable is no longer unthinkable, but something we are hoping to avoid or prevent. We no longer feel invincible. We never were invincible. We mourn the loss of our sense of safety, but in getting on with life, we incorporate the knowledge that anything can happen. Anything did happen. It was a loss of innocence, as much as a loss of lives.
So I will do my part. I will not knowingly bring anything onto the plane which might turn out to be useful for some nefarious purpose. And I will think of the price, in lives, that North America has paid, to make this mentality necessary. Nothing will ever be the same again. We walk on eggshells. I don't see this as progress, as some changes are. This is both deeper and more superficial. It is about anger, hatred, religious doctrine. It is about a sense of violation and righteous indignation. It is about self-preservation.
I will post from Seattle, if I have time, assuming I am not hauled off the plane and detained for matters pertaining to national security, or having too much fun.
posted by Cluttered Mind @ 9:42 p.m.
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