Monday, July 17, 2006

Fears for the World

Things seem to really be unraveling in the Middle East. It's very worrisome. It feels on the one hand very far away and nothing to do with me - yet on the other, it's events of the type of ferocity and political bent that in the past have started global conflicts.

Once again I'm struck by a sense that the world is really far too dangerous and crazy to have children. Perhaps people throughout history have felt this way. "How can I have children? Cave-bears will eat them!" "They'll be sent to fight in the Crusades!" "They'll die of malaria." (sadly, that's still true in many parts of the world.) Now, though most of the things that endangered children and the rest of us throughout human history are avoidable in the U.S., there are new dangers to contend with. Suddenly completely unrelated people thousands of miles away might pose a threat to us all.

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