Nightmare Scenarios

2010-05-13 10:41:50 by esproul

The original meaning of the word nightmare referred to the feeling of suffocation caused by an evil spirit. I like etymology, especially the way it illuminates changes in meaning over time. Americans are suffocating under the weight of endless "security" measures with no end in sight. Will we ever again be able to keep our shoes on at the airport? Will we one day have to be screened in the nude before taking any public transportation? Where does it end?

Maybe it will end if we stop our worst-case thinking. It's a reflex when we think about security, especially for those in positions of authority who are thinking about their accountability should "the worst" happen. That's how we end up with rule after rule, weaving a blanket of "protection" that suffocates the liberty it is meant to safeguard. That's my nightmare scenario.