I was browsing Odyssey's website when I came across an article entitled, "The US Shouldn't Allow Students To Study Abroad After Brussels." I personally thought the article was going to be satire, maybe an article discussing America's vulnerability regarding fear and delusion, but I was wrong—unfortunately.
To each their own on the choice they make regarding travel, especially in a time peaked of terrorist attacks. But I disagree with such a statement. Why let fearfulness control your life? If we are held down by the ropes of pique and distress, the ropes will only continue to tighten with no relief.
As horrible as this may sound, it could be considered being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We can't determine who is a good person and someone who has the intention to harm others. If we were to let fear control us, how would we be able to go to work, go to class, go out to eat, go see a movie, go shopping, live? Or better yet, live a fulfilled life. Because in all of these locations, tragedies have occurred from someone who had evil intentions.
The world can be cruel. But you can't hide because that would mean they, the ones who continue to inflict fear and harm, are winning.
Because, well, in the end, no one escapes death.
"The obvious one—it’s not safe."
The initial article I stumbled upon speaks of how Brussels is unsafe. Belgium is actually number 14 out of 162 different countries on the Global Peace Index Score. The article also speaks of how Paris is unsafe. France is number 45 out of 162 countries. The United States? 94 out of 162.
In comparison with relation to the Terrorism Index, Belgium is number 82 out of 162 countries, France is number 36 out of 162 countries and the United States is 35 out of 162 countries (please note that the Global Peace Index Score is reversed, as the Belgium is on the low spectrum of terrorism compared to France and the United States).
This information was gathered from the Vision of Humanity, an online source that intakes research and news that ultimately creates indexes of how peaceful, or not, the world is. The website highlights key issues from factual and reliable sources to find solutions to these tragedies. Not only this, but the Vision of Humanity also raises awareness of the importance of peace.
But ultimately, with this scholarly index, we find that the United States is actually the least peaceful and has more terrorist attacks than the comparative countries of Belgium and France.
Meanwhile, the most peaceful country, according to the Global Peace Index, is in Europe—Iceland. Second? European country Denmark. Third? You guessed it. European country Austria.
Each year, the index is likely to differentiate, but as a whole, Europe is seemingly the most peaceful continent of all continents, as specifically stated in the other article how study abroad should not be done specifically in Europe.
Yes, studying abroad in multiple other countries could be depicted as unsafe. And it surely is. Studying abroad in Iraq could be unsafe. Studying abroad in North Korea could be unsafe. But to be completely honest, I haven't personally heard of anyone traveling to these countries.
"Universities can become liable and parents could sue."
You signed up to go abroad. You knew of the implications that could occur when pursuing your degree abroad. As much as you knew the possibilities when turning the key into the ignition to start your car. You could get into a car wreck.
What about the schools that have been shot up? The universities, colleges, high school, middle schools, elementary schools? Is the government to blame for the killings in grade school due to violence because these students must go? Or what about colleges and universities? We pay tuition—if I'm injured, does that mean I could sue? Or my mother for that matter?
But the owner of the movie theater let me buy that movie ticket knowing that there could possibly be a shooting. The bartender served me a drink knowing that there could be an altercation. The airline worker took my ticket knowing that the plane could possibly crash.
If we're going to be thinking in this mindset, we will be suing slap-happy. We would be involved in court cases left and right with no rebuttal. It's absolutely ludicrous; don't leave your house if that's the way things are going to be.
"If we’ve issued travel warnings in the past we can do travel bans."
One can't simply restrict all traveling of individuals out of fear that a terroristic attack could possibly occur again. Travel warnings are completely different from travel bans. Yes, it wasn't promoted to travel to Africa in the wake of Ebola. Yes, it isn't promoted to South America in the wake of the Zika virus. Yes, it isn't promoted to travel to an area right after the wake of a terroristic attack.
I love my country for that exact reasoning—my freedom. My freedom to speak how I wish, to live my dreams and to do as I please, in a lawful manner, that is.
The United States restricting travel would be a press against not only my freedom but every citizen's.
And if there was a travel ban to Brussels, then I am sorry to say, but one would not be allowed to travel, essentially, the entire world. The argument presented would have made more sense if was targeted at the Middle East, some areas of Asia and Africa, possibly some of Europe. But not just Europe as a whole.
As the author stated, it would be horrible for someone to bury his or her child due to a terroristic attack. But coming from someone who has a child and someone who is a daughter, I would neither deny my daughter from living her life nor would I expect my mother to deny me from living how I wanted. Even if that included traveling abroad.
It is undoubtedly obvious that terroristic acts are rising, but it should not be a signifier to halt living one's life how he or she intends to. You should ultimately be the one to make your own decisions. The author of that article does not want to study abroad. Then she shouldn't. But travel should neither be restricted nor banned due to fear.
Don't let fear control your life.
