Disasters and Denial : It's not just a river in Egypt
The terrorists and Americans. They never forget, and we never remember. They are still mad about the crusades, when I am sure none of my ancestors destroyed their civilization. Why am I blamed now? Because I am an American. But that's the problem.
No matter how bad the insult, no matter how devastating the attack, after a short time we just move on. Is that why we have survived till now? Or could this national lack of memory come back to haunt us? As one that has been involved with disaster preparedness, it seems that the only ones that seem to care are the emergency professionals, the ones who routinely risk their lives for us, no matter how stupid the situation we place ourselves.
Okay, we have one hundred million people who want us destroyed. They have virtually unlimited funds and can buy any state-of-the-art equipment from the Russians, thank you Mr. Putin. And because we care so much about so many foreigners at the expense of our own citizens, the bad guys can come and go as they please. Hey, I watched the people jumping from the towers on 911 before the media decided this was too real to see. Isn't it nice that the harsh reality of the attack has been "cleaned up" - almost made to look like a Hollywood movie. Is that the reason that we rapidly became complacent again? Maybe by taking the sting out of the experience, the impact of the reality of what happened was weakened.
Now as I sit here I realize that the country still is not prepared. As an "expert" giving lectures on terrorism and preparedness, I find people are more interested in the talk next door on fondue parties or turbo-charging your lawn mower. Something is amiss. There is a nationwide pervasive attitude of denial. Denial of threat. Denial of responsibility. Heck, they even deny they are in denial.
Here's an example. All I hear about is how the government, at every level, didn't rescue all the victims of Hurricane Katrina. But that is just the problem. It has nothing to do with the government. It has everything to do with each and every one of us. Since when do we so freely give up our responsibility to take care of ourselves? Any time there is a crisis are we just supposed to sit and wait to have someone else rescue us? Do we really think that 800 cops can keep one million people safe from bad guys? Really, now, how hard is it to take a few moments to prepare? Weren't most of us Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts long ago? Okay, asking every citizen to act like a citizen and consider how they can provide for themselves and their families in any crisis may be asking too much. But what if?
Just think, our vulnerability as a nation and society would be dropped. We would all be safer. One key aspect of terrorism is the fear and panic associated with the attack. What if there was less panic? What if everyone knew what to do, and how to do it? What if every citizen had what they needed to provide for themselves in an emergency, whether natural or man-made? What if, and I know this may be far-fetched, we could each actually take care of protecting ourselves. Wow, that would mean there would be less suffering, and a more rapid recovery no matter what the disaster. Our country would be stronger and our society would rebound faster. The terrorists would have failed, even before they started. But then, who would we blame?
Related Topics: After Katrina: Preparing for a Disaster, How to Respond and Cope in an Emergency
Technorati Tags: hurricanes, disasterpreparedness, terrorism,
No matter how bad the insult, no matter how devastating the attack, after a short time we just move on. Is that why we have survived till now? Or could this national lack of memory come back to haunt us? As one that has been involved with disaster preparedness, it seems that the only ones that seem to care are the emergency professionals, the ones who routinely risk their lives for us, no matter how stupid the situation we place ourselves.
Okay, we have one hundred million people who want us destroyed. They have virtually unlimited funds and can buy any state-of-the-art equipment from the Russians, thank you Mr. Putin. And because we care so much about so many foreigners at the expense of our own citizens, the bad guys can come and go as they please. Hey, I watched the people jumping from the towers on 911 before the media decided this was too real to see. Isn't it nice that the harsh reality of the attack has been "cleaned up" - almost made to look like a Hollywood movie. Is that the reason that we rapidly became complacent again? Maybe by taking the sting out of the experience, the impact of the reality of what happened was weakened.
Now as I sit here I realize that the country still is not prepared. As an "expert" giving lectures on terrorism and preparedness, I find people are more interested in the talk next door on fondue parties or turbo-charging your lawn mower. Something is amiss. There is a nationwide pervasive attitude of denial. Denial of threat. Denial of responsibility. Heck, they even deny they are in denial.
Here's an example. All I hear about is how the government, at every level, didn't rescue all the victims of Hurricane Katrina. But that is just the problem. It has nothing to do with the government. It has everything to do with each and every one of us. Since when do we so freely give up our responsibility to take care of ourselves? Any time there is a crisis are we just supposed to sit and wait to have someone else rescue us? Do we really think that 800 cops can keep one million people safe from bad guys? Really, now, how hard is it to take a few moments to prepare? Weren't most of us Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts long ago? Okay, asking every citizen to act like a citizen and consider how they can provide for themselves and their families in any crisis may be asking too much. But what if?
Just think, our vulnerability as a nation and society would be dropped. We would all be safer. One key aspect of terrorism is the fear and panic associated with the attack. What if there was less panic? What if everyone knew what to do, and how to do it? What if every citizen had what they needed to provide for themselves in an emergency, whether natural or man-made? What if, and I know this may be far-fetched, we could each actually take care of protecting ourselves. Wow, that would mean there would be less suffering, and a more rapid recovery no matter what the disaster. Our country would be stronger and our society would rebound faster. The terrorists would have failed, even before they started. But then, who would we blame?
Related Topics: After Katrina: Preparing for a Disaster, How to Respond and Cope in an Emergency
Technorati Tags: hurricanes, disasterpreparedness, terrorism,
2 Comments:
Right on the mark Dr.Marks !!! No pun intended...
I agree, the ability to take of yourself and you family doesn't have to cost a fortune. $150.00 would provide food and water for a family of 4 for 4 days.
A few dollars a month and in a few months you have provided for your own security until the government has a chance to respond.
Self defense is another matter, but even there it doesn't have be fancy and it doesn't have to be aggressive.
I have a place in my home where we can retreat to. I do not care enough about any of the property outside that room to hurt someone. Only if they come into our retreat will they risk violence. People are worth a violent defense if necessary, not property.
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