This piece, in keeping with a theme, is a little bit off the cuff; just like the last few I’ve written. I’ve tried to start being a little more deliberate in what I write. I keep seeing my other fellow writers talk about the more contemporary or “hip” issues, whether they be writing about music or about the controversial topic of race riots.

This has made me consider doing the same; and I think that I can, since I am finally out of the slump of finals on my end. Thus, I want to talk about a concept that seems to surround such events like race relations or, more recently, the attacks in San Bernardino in California. Soon after such occurrences, it seems that many Americans are wont to go on the defensive when it comes to trusting others, especially our neighbors who may have a different views or beliefs from us. With this, there is also a sense of distrust in our democratic society of disagreement, especially when it comes to gun ownership and their subsequent restrictions.

At first, I thought to myself on how reactionary these statements were, especially after such happenings, and coming from an inherently conservative point-of-view (argue this how you will). But even more than this, I immediately thought about how these statements were what I had been hearing all along. It is no obvious thing to say that our society is more volatile than it was even three years ago.

We need to be safer about how we take care of ourselves and our families. But it doesn’t matter whether or not this lies in the actions of government on gun control, or in the rantings of a mad-man like Trump who wants to ban the immigration of refugees. It certainly doesn’t lie in telling the American people they need to militarize their lives.

Just as Judge Jeanine Pirro demonstrated to me in calling for Americans to arm themselves, preaching the possible reality of terrorism through fear is just simply not productive. Indeed, all fearmongering does is take away any kind of focus in doing what is important to us as people. The opposite has occurred in such cases as after the terrorist attacks in Paris. What did Parisians do?They remembered and honored the innocent lives that were lost, but they also vowed to continue life as usual; and they have continued on in defiance to living in fear. As such, we, as Americans, should continue on. It isn’t right to bury disgust for these crimes, but it is just as harmful to become as hateful as they are. When we plunge into fear, we plunge into blindness. I can only imagine what could happen next.