Dangerous times

This is the sixth post in blog Defend Yourself!:

April 09, 2008

Dangerous times

Are older people right when they say they lived in much more secure and peaceful past?

This is not an easy question to answer because on the one hand it seems obvious that many problems we face today are the result of a lifestyle, a culture and a technology that did not exist a few decades ago, on the other, an optimist person might argue that we are being partial.

In fact, this same technology has done wonders in terms of security.

We can not deny these advances, but can we restrict the advances only to technology?

Also would we been partial?

In part, yes. There have been advances in education that have improved our culture and lifestyle. Before people had less access to better quality education.

There is a link between education and safety?

Apparently yes.

Although the culture itself can not be considered a pure form of formal education, safety culture does not seem a reality. Rather. What we see is a culture of violence.

So on the one hand today we have more formal education accessible, but we have an indirect form of cultural learning that points to a contrary direction.

 

And there is something behind this culture that we call lifestyle. Are theremore risks in current lifestyle?

No doubt, yes.

The lifestyle is now much more based in large groups, mobility, daring, risk-controlled and almost dangerous adventures. There is an early maturing youth and a sexualization of behaviors that is not necessarily a bad thing, but anticipates risks to an age group that is not yet prepared to face it.

So, are our grandparents correct?

We can say that in part, yes. They no had an advanced medicine to protect them, but did not have so many thugs in the streets, so many human contact that provides a friction is not always healthy. They no had the news in first hand from internet and television, but they were not forced to watch terrible scenes between a range and other of the newscast.

On second thought, each time brings his challenges, and this discussion will not make our world better just because we are discussing the subject.

On the one hand we can not go back in time, on the other, we can try to recreate what was lost, but it was good. This is a sensible effort.

We can not never do certain things, but we can do others.

Anyway, we survived from the past.

The risk is now.

Can we at least learn something about the risks of the past?

Can we really learn to live safely?

This is the real issue.

Written by Rosenvaldo Simoes de Souza at 12h56