Are you "safe" in this world?

[Linna Heartbooger]

This question is, I guess, of the form of "what do you believe/think?"

"What do you feel?" could have much different answers, for some of us!

[Ananda]

Safe from what? And in the world anywhere or where we live with the assumption that the us or russia dont start a nuclear war?

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Safety is an illusion. Yes, you can take precautions to minimize the likelihood of certain things happening--getting into a car wreck, accidentally mixing household chemicals, checking the crime statistics for your city and avoiding high-crime areas, etc--but accidents always happen.

[aliantha]

And there's also "safe" as in "never doing anything scary or challenging."

I answered "yep" because in terms of personal, physical safety, yes, I do feel safe, about 97% of the time.

[Linna Heartbooger]

Ananda- you got me! Being able to spot an imprecise question from a mile away is a good trait to have.

If I were to be more specific, I guess I'd say:
'Reasonably' safe from untimely death or unrestrained violence against your person.
(Next thing I know, someone's gonna ask me what 'reasonably' means!)

Or you can tell me what is the question you want to answer, and answer it... even if it's a good bit different.

And in the world anywhere or where we live with the assumption that the us or russia dont start a nuclear war?

The latter!

Safety is an illusion. Yes, you can take precautions to minimize the likelihood of certain things happening--getting into a car wreck...

Hashi- yup; I am actually really bothered by what that "illusion of perpetual safety" does to people... in places like suburbia-land where I live.
But then sometimes it seems that common wisdom actually DOES legitimately dictate that I should be vigilant against... many things... and try to protect myself and my family.
...and yet there's still always gonna be that bit of uncertainty.

And there's also "safe" as in "never doing anything scary or challenging."

Yes.
This is something I'm really interested in... on my current re-read of the 1st Chrons, I'm coming to think that's one of the major problems that the books try to address:
"How far is too far?" in terms of trying to extend oneself to care about the world's problems / fight against the ill in the world.

[aTOMiC]

Ignorance is bliss. I hear that a lot and to some extent its true. A good example might be that an asteroid is hurtling toward Earth and will cause an extinction level event in 5 years. There is absolutely nothing any of us can do about such a thing so would you like to know this information before hand and spend your final days groaning about how you and everyone you've ever heard of is going to die or would you prefer to go on having a good time, celebrating birthdays, enjoying football, eating wonderful meals etc blissfully unaware of your ultimate fate?
I'm guessing I'd rather be surprised.
Now take that scenario and apply it to the threats of your daily life. Some you can do something about (create a fireproof house, wear a suit of air tight armor all the time to prevent physical harm or inhale a killer virus) and some you can't (random acts of violence, natural disasters, unforeseeable accidents).
Generally speaking, based on my life thus far, I expect to be unharmed for the present and I conduct myself that way every day so I guess I feel relatively safe.
If it were possible I'd find a way to be informed about threats I can be proactive about trying to prevent and completely ignorant about the ones I have no power over.

[Orlion]

Yess....it's safe...

[Vraith]

It's a cool question, and I may repost later from a different/more discussion worthy angle...but for now I just want to say:
Most people in most places are far more "safe," as in 'not under immediate threat from harm' than they've ever been before by far...even in the worst parts of the world.
And yet almost everyone I know feels threatened all the damn time...and the richer/safer/more secure they are, the more threatened they feel.
Perfect examples are, I think, Linna...Nigeria?...you are reasonably threatened. Avatar...South Africa?...on average not quite as threatened as Linna...
Yet I know dozens of people who don't even KNOW anyone who's been in real danger [non-random event danger I mean] who are pretty much terrified outside of their one block neighborhood, one fave restaurant, and one fave bar.

[Holsety]

Safe? Most living things die! Most human beings die! My death seems 100% likely! I'm not safe at all!

[aliantha]

Psst, Vraith, you mean DotD, not Linna.

But you are absolutely right about the terror level of some Americans. You can blame part of it on the media's insistence on ginning up fear to boost their ratings, but it works because people don't think through the probability of the horrible thing du jour happening to them. It's such a first-world problem.

[Worm of Despite]

My moral vacuum is very comfortable.

[Fist and Faith]

I don't know what the most common age of death in NY State is, but I imagine, statistically, I'm pretty safe.

[Worm of Despite]

I don't know what the most common age of death in NY State is, but I imagine, statistically, I'm pretty safe.

As long as you're not crossing the highway drunk like this one girl who ran into a semi-truck and then was tossed over a turn-lane into my truck. Then yeah; you're safe.

I use that terrible moment of my life to let all know that it can all end quite quickly and when it does happen you'll probably be lucky to think, "Wish I had done more...had enough to time to do A or B."

Safety for the most part is an illusion I think, and if we at least accept we're going to die and time is short we can get some shit done.

Safe? Most living things die! Most human beings die! My death seems 100% likely! I'm not safe at all!

*Put a hand on your lap*

Calm down. CALM DOWN.

[lorin]

Yess....it's safe...

nooo, it's not safe
www.youtube.com/watch?v=00-fCT0bdUU

[aliantha]

If you're walking along a highway drunk, and you get hit by a semi, your most coherent thought is probably gonna be, "Whuuuuut?"

Just sayin'.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Statistics tells us that the number one cause of death is life.

[Menolly]

I guess my answer is that I do somewhat subscribe to the three-fold law. So, in light of certain actions of my own recently, I may be in for a pretty difficult time. But I generally live my life believing I am safe, as I hope I generally put out good energy.

However, randomness can happen at anytime and anywhere. I just don't stress about it, most of the time.

[Worm of Despite]

If you're walking along a highway drunk, and you get hit by a semi, your most coherent thought is probably gonna be, "Whuuuuut?"

Just sayin'.

IF you survive the impact. Yeah...person flying like debris over a turn lane and into my lane was quite an end to a very long day at work.

[DoctorGamgee]

I usually (as in almost always) feel safe. Of course, I live less than 10 miles from the spot on Mexico where the 40 headless bodies were dumped on the street, and our sister city is practically paralyzed with fear, shootings etc from the drug wars. One of my former students was kidnapped by the Zetas, but was released unharmed physically (though emotionally he is still scarred...).

But in the grand scheme of things, Life is going to happen. You just hope that God will get you through it and keep doing it. I spent the first 25 years of my life being told that I wouldn't live to see 30. I was cautious, and not afraid of dying so much as I was what people would think. As most of you now know, I don't worry about that any more. I just turned 45 last week and am still going strong. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? So why worry about it?

As Porgy sings (in I got plenty o' Nuthin!):

"The Folks with plenty of plenty, got a lock on their door. 'Fraid somebody's a goin' to rob 'em while they's out a makin' more. What for?"

I couldn't agree more!

Doc

[Iolanthe]

Safe? Most living things die! Most human beings die! My death seems 100% likely! I'm not safe at all!

"There is nothing so certain as death, and nothing as uncertain as the time thereof" - standard text for old wills.

I don't view "safety" in that way, death is inevitable, and probably closer for me than for most of you. I don't fear death, just the thought that I might not have time to finish what I want to leave behind.

Safety for me is living in the love of my family, and I feel very safe.