How safe is safe?
July 31, 2007
Terrorism looms. The threat of an attack is in the back of our minds. We follow the case against Gold Coast Doctor Mohamed Haneef with concern that what happened in England could happen here in Australia.
So we set up new laws. The anti-terror laws started in 2004, taking away some of our liberties. Over the last three years more than twenty new pieces of legislation have been enacted to “enhance” security
Then there is the financial cost. Last year the United States spent US$250 billion in the war on terrorism, whilst Australia has spent $11.5 billion.
So there are 2 questions I have
1) Are we safer?
The total number of Australian deaths from terrorist attacks since 2001 is 160. Over half of this group died in Bali. So that’s on average about 20 deaths a year. If you compare that to the 300 Australians die each year from murder it is quite a small number. And when you consider that the deaths due to terrorism have taken place outside of Australia it shows that we are safe, but not safer. There are still other tragedies which occurred before September 11th that can still impact on our lives
It’s the possible threat that concerns us. The “What if….?” The problem is that we don’t feel safe, and we need that feeling. So along as the feeling is there, we will go to greater lengths to protect ourselves.
2) Can we be safe?
Here is my real concern. We believe that the world can be a safe place. Yet history is against us. Try and find the last decade in world history when there was no war. You’ll be going back centuries.
And we can’t avoid death. 12,600 people in NSW die of cancer each year. 550 people in NSW will die on our roads. Each year 500 people will die from a workplace accident and 2200 will die due to exposure to hazardous substances. Then there’s bushfires, air disasters, floods and drowning.
It is a political dream to believe that we can be safe. This world is not safe. And we are not powerful enough to deal with every problem. We are not the ALMIGHTY. So rather than being nihilistic or seeking to solve every problem, we need to learn to trust in God who has allotted our days on this earth. We need to realise that “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away”, and that God has appointed a day when He will judge the world with justice. It’s only when Christ returns that we can truly feel safe.
