Fear is driving us Squirrely

Fear us running rampant in this country like a rabid squirrel waiting to attack. Militia groups forming to protect their gun rights, tea party rallies protesting tax increases, hysteria over the health care debate. Has someone put halluciagins in our water? Let’s calm down with the cup of the tea we are tossing overboard and figure this out.
First, we need to think about where this fear comes from? Could it be that our national calm was shaken at 9/11? Being attacked on our soil will do that to us. Have you seen a pre 9/11 movie recently? The casual way the actors walk through an airport gives us a glimpse of the security we felt as a country. I want to place myself in the movie so I can pull the airport fire alarm and scream, “Brace yourself, you don’t know what is coming!” We are on alert, cautious and afraid as a nation.
Add to that our economic plight which has made us all feel less secure. Our lifestyles have been compromised, as we loose our jobs or on a lesser scale, we limit our buying. No one wants to give up the comfort we enjoy and we see it slipping from us.
These fears can be eliminated if we believe that we all want the same thing. We want security, to know we are safe from outside forces. We want to take care of our families and provide a future for them. We all want the same things so let’s catch the rabid squirrel, give it a shot and tame it. Instead of villifying the ones who offer different solutions, let’s listen and find common ground. Our enemy doesn’t lie in the opposing political party. Our enemy is the fear. Fear that doesn’t allow compromise or generate goodwill in our interactions.