An Imaginary Security

Thanks so much for the attention you gave in your October 2004 issue to the greatest political strategy ever, which is fear ("Fear Itself," by Richard Rohr). It constantly amazes me when otherwise rational people I know believe that any human being or institution can make them "safe." Our vision is becoming fogged and our worldview desensitized to issues that demand a response, because the narrow focus of the war on terror insulates us and paralyzes our national will. Human rights abuses, injustice, poverty, violence, the helplessness and hopelessness of so many in the world will be ignored as we pursue an imaginary "security" that blinds us to others’ needs. The real fear is that we may lose our souls in the Faustian bargain to preserve our physical lives.

Phyllis L. Townley
New York, New York