Is Fear Taking Over Our Lives?

Most of us likely feel where we live is pretty safe and violence of any kind is rare and not something that we think about all that much.  At the same time we are not immune to the possibility that in our own neighborhoods there can be violent and even shocking behavior.

Of course if you live and work in New York City it’s a very different story and you have to wonder where things are going.  As one who watches the news most evenings it is filled with stories of shootings, subway attacks, gang violence, muggings and just about everything you can imagine.  As a parent whose daughter lives in the Chelsea section of Manhattan and either walks or takes the subway to work it is something that stays with you all the time.

Tuesday during the morning commute a lone gunman wearing a reflective vest and gas mask threw smoke bombs on a subway car in Brooklyn and began shooting.  When the dust settled 10 people had been shot by a .380 caliber handgun and while several were listed in critical but stable condition fortunately none of those injuries were considered life threatening.

This is just the latest example of how things have gotten out of control, not just in New York but most major cities in this country.  For the most part we tend to believe that something like this could not happen in our area but the truth is it could.  Nobody is 100% safe unless you live in a bubble and there seems to be no solution or answer when it comes to man’s inhumanity to his fellow man.

It’s a scary time…the question is will it get better or continue to spiral downwards.