Anger, frustration, violence dominate our modern news media ~

Gavin De Becker writes in his book, Gift of Fear*:

"If we studied any other creature in nature and found the record of intraspecies violence that human beings have, we would be repulsed by it.  We'd view it as a great perversion of natural law ~ but we wouldn't deny it."

"As we stand on the tracks, we can only avoid the oncoming train if we are willing to see it and willing to predict that it won't stop.  But instead of improving the technologies of prediction, America improves the technologies of conflict:  guns, prisons, SWAT teams, karate classes, pepper spray, stun guns, Tasers, Mace.  And now more than ever, we need the most accurate predictions.  Just think about how we live:  We are searched for weapons before boarding a plane, visiting city hall, seeing a television show taping, or attending a speech by the president.  Our government buildings are surrounded by barricades, and we wrestle through so-called tamper-proof packaging to get a couple aspirin.  All of this was triggered by the deeds of fewer than ten dangerous men who got our attention by frightening us.  What other quorum in American history, save those who wrote our constitution, could claim as much impact on our day-to-day lives?  Since fear is so central to our experience, understanding when it is a gift ~ and when it is a curse ~ is well worth the effort."

~ *Gift of Fear - Survival Signals That Protect us From Violence, Little, Brown & Co., Canada, Ltd., 1997. De Becker is a three-time presidential appointee changing the way the U.S. gov't. evaluates threats.

(Apologies - Pictures currently unavailable through Blogspot.  Hopefully to be resolved.)