Living free in face of atrocity

Protesting everything, from the legitimate to the ridiculous, seems to be America’s newest pastime, replete with vitriol from all sides. But in a strange way, the Las Vegas massacre – the worst mass shooting in American history – may yet bring us together.

We need to fight the SOBs who commit such atrocities. But how? By not living in fear. By not letting them win. And by not allowing them to change the very essence of who we are, and how we live our lives.

We need to go to – rather than avoid – Vegas. We need to walk the Strip, stay at the Mandalay Bay hotel, attend outdoor concerts, and unabashedly embrace other human beings in large crowds. It doesn’t mean we won’t be on edge – and yes, even afraid – but to run from these things with the mindset that “I don’t want to be next” is capitulating to the bad guys and succumbing to victimhood. And that’s not who we are. Whether it’s the 64-year old whack-job from Vegas whose name will not be dignified here, to lone wolf terrorists, to ISIS regulars, we must not give them what they want – we cannot cower.

We need to protest their evil actions, defiantly and unified, while not ceding civil liberties that would further restrict our freedoms. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have discussions – even very passionate arguments – about everything from gun control to mental health to security checks, because they are all necessary.

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, this author took significant flak for taking his young daughter on a transatlantic flight the day the airports reopened. “It’s one thing if you want to kill yourself,” some screamed, “but how can you so callously jeopardize your child’s life by flying now?”

My response was simple: I asked if they could A) guarantee that the plane would not crash because of mechanical failure or mid-air collision, B) assure me with absolute certainty that I would not be in any kind of fatal incident here at home, and C) tell me precisely when it would be “safe” to fly again with zero possibility of a terrorist attack.

Fact was, the months after 9/11 were by far the safest time to fly. That doesn’t mean that I, along with every other passenger, wasn’t white-knuckled. It was a scary time, but the answer was to forge ahead.

In response to the attacks, President George W. Bush made the bold proclamation that we should continue flying, traveling, going to ballgames, and living our lives to the fullest extent, lest al-Qaida win the day. It took time getting over the initial shock, but Americans rallied instead of retreated. We were unified (at least for a while), and we vowed never to let such evildoers take what they desire most: The American soul.

Inner cities aside, we must remember that we are living in the safest time in human history. Yes, the magnitude of individual attacks is growing, as is our ability to see developments unfold 24/7. But it is imperative to remember – and obviously this is not to slight the victims and their families – that the odds of experiencing this type of attack is statistically non-existent.

Over a billion (that’s billion with a “b”) people have enjoyed the Strip in Las Vegas without incident. The next billion will undoubtedly do so too, as the odds for another massacre are virtually nil.

The numbers reflecting our safety bear it out: There have been 160 million flights since 9/11 without a terrorist hijacking, and crime in America is at an all-time low. There are fewer wars than at any point in history, and scientific advances have eradicated diseases that once killed millions. And yes, mass shootings, while occurring more so than in the past, are still beyond rare.

We cannot allow ourselves to become paralyzed by isolated incidents because we mistakenly believe they are commonplace. They are not.

Vigilance, not paranoia, is the answer.

You cannot solve a problem until you know what it is. Perhaps our most important job is to figure out how to reverse the mindset that going out in a blaze of glory – while killing as many as possible – is the best method for dealing with problems.

If we fail, ISIS will be the least of our problems. And that’s the scariest thought of all.