SAFETY

It is a figment of our imaginations (collective and individual); more insidious and far more dangerous than the monsters under the bed or the fear that keeps you from reaching for the light switch. Fear can be overcome. You turn on the light, and the monsters melt away; slowly you gain the courage to face those fears, each in turn at its moment.

You can gain a sense of SECURITY through that work.

SECURITY and SAFETY are not equal. When you are secure in yourself -- emotionally and physically -- you know what you can handle; you are alert for danger. You know your limits and behave accordingly. You don't put yourself in dangerous situations. You have a plan of action if one should arise. [Or you believe that you have a special guardian angel to keep watch over you.] It's all about personal responsibility. It's not a promise that everything is going to be ok all the time. It's the knowledge that you can handle situations as they arise.

SAFETY is the promise...roses whose bloom never fades and eternal sunshine. Someone or something is SAFE means we don't have to have our guard up. We falsely feel protected. We are vulnerable not out of choice, rather we believe ourselves in a situation were there is no vulnerability possible.

We simply could not be more mistaken.

Obviously this is a PERSONAL problem that we bring on ourselves perhaps out of sloth. It is much easier to just believe we are SAFE and not take the steps to ensure we are SECURE.

In SAFETY, we don't watch for signs or red lights; hell we ignore the "yell"-ow lights that warn us to protect ourselves. We turn a blind eye because we are SAFE. We doubt nagging suspicions, we quiet screaming messengers trying to move us to higher ground. We lay our vulnerability at the feet of SAFETY and are hurt all the more when we are betrayed. When we wake to find we have been robbed of our beauty or trust, we wonder how anyone so nice could be so horrible. Safety injures our sense of security. Maybe looking for SAFETY is the tell-tale sign of insecurity.

Cynical much? Yes, I am ... quite a bit, lately more.