Fear itself is the problem

A survey by the Laguna Beach Unified School District titled “The

How I See Things Survey” found mostly positive emotions among second-

through 11th-grade students. But it also found that 37% of Laguna’s

elementary and middle school boys don’t feel safe.

Afraid? This survey screams for another study. What are these boys

afraid of? Bullies? Bad grades? Violence? Oh, please don’t let it be

violence. It’s bad enough that kids in bad neighborhoods feel wary

walking home from school, but kids from Laguna should have some

comfort in their surroundings.

It seems to be another example of how fear has infiltrated

everyday lives regardless of reality. Parents are supposed to warn

their kids. They’re supposed to tell of stranger danger and of not

answering the door when you’re alone. They’re supposed to run fire

drills and demand seat belt usage. But have we gone too far? With

news shows and newspapers focusing on shootings, fatal collisions and

kidnappings, it’s no wonder adults and kids are terrified.

But logically, most of us know that there’s a great difference

between the percentage of time these stories are on TV and the

percentage of persons they actually happen to.

Take precaution, lock your door, tell the kids not to talk to

strangers without mom or dad around and buckle up and then forget

about it. Unrealistic anxiety can be debilitating and diminish life’s

joys. Don’t watch the stories about another shooting mangled car or

house fire. Yes, you might be able to garner a few tips about fire

safety, but generally, if you’re paying attention, you already know

to keep batteries in your fire detectors and have a planned escape

route. Unless it’s your job to prevent these tragedies, it doesn’t do

any good to fill your mind with all the horrible things that can

happen.

Perhaps if enough people stop watching, news programs will be

forced to run more relevant stories -- even the “boring” ones about

local ordinances and special events.