53 responses

  1. Bell | Wanderlust Marriage
    November 26, 2015

    Couldn’t agree more with the sentiment that there is more good in the world than bad and it just drives me nuts to hear the “us vs. them” rhetoric that spews out from the main stream media. Thanks for sharing these great stories that show that as humans we’re more a like thank not regardless of out culture, skin color or language.

    Reply

    • Talon Windwalker
      November 29, 2015

      The divisiveness is just horrible and so dangerous!

      Reply

  2. Ren During
    August 26, 2012

    This is terrific on many levels and while I’m not anti-American I certainly think our culture seems to have a mindset that we need an “enemy” or we don’t feel whole or like we’re doing our job. It’s almost like a sick need we have and now that the Cold War is over it’s a search to find the next powerful enemy to fight a war with ~ since there isn’t one it’s this war on “terror” crap so anyone and everyone can be the enemy.

    In another sense, as Lainie mentions, fear in the mind is a personal choice but it’s not always being controlled by others. Let’s not forget that for some it’s a convenient scapegoat so that they can stay in their comfort zones and have a nice built-in excuse (be it an excuse for others or for them) when questioned. Sure it sounds like a good “reason” when you see the overexposed news footage of the one blown out of proportion incident, but only those of us that venture out know that! 😉 I’m not saying everyone does this, just that I’ve been known to let my mind run away with me so I’m betting it’s happened to others as well. 😉

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 26, 2012

      Definitely! Governments can do a lot when they manipulate the minds of their people. As Americans we like to believe we’re free from this in our country, but our government is just as guilty as many of the ones we eschew, such as China and Cuba. There is power for a government that can convince people they are not safe and that they will take care of them, protect them, keep them from harm.

      I have also seen what you’re saying about people using fear to conveniently stay within their comfort zones. That is so true!

      Reply

      • Ren During
        August 26, 2012

        I’ve seen it already traveling and not just with the fear thing but with many things. Americans think everything we have is the best yet many things in Europe are awesome and Americans know nothing about them. Heaven forbid anybody be ahead of us in anything! Of course our own government would never tell us this either because it would show a lacking on their part, therefore confidence would fall and we’d all abandon ship and flee, right? Wrong, but they must think that, thus they feed us a line of crap and keep us in the dark.

        I love traveling ~ I feel much more enlightened suddenly. 🙂

        Reply

      • 1dad1kid
        August 26, 2012

        Luckily I experienced other cultures at a young enough age that I’ve never bought into the typical American ethnocentrism. So many countries have such an edge on us, and so many cultures are far more community and family minded that it’s rather funny to hear people say how America is the greatest country in the world. No, it really isn’t. Yes, it is a wonderful country and has many wonderful things about it, and I’m often quite grateful that I was born there, but there are MANY absolutely wonderful countries.

        Reply

      • Ren During
        August 26, 2012

        Isn’t it funny how fear rules governments too? So many people and all so afraid? Imagine how different the world could be if people could just let go… gosh, I think John Lennon had a song kinda like that, didn’t he? 😉

        Reply

      • 1dad1kid
        August 26, 2012

        You can really tell the difference when you’re in a culture that doesn’t live off fear. We noticed it in Mexico with the last hurricane. I’ve seen how people respond in America leaving stores with bare shelves, etc. Here it was such a nonevent. Even many of the American expats here were freaking out when it was just a warning (and the storm was DAYS away), while those of us who have been living in Latin America for a while just shrugged and said “We’ll see.”

        Reply

      • Ren During
        August 26, 2012

        Well it’s also a difference in cultures period. Americans are a very “me” culture. We clear out stores because we all want to get things for “our” family and no one else. We are not a society that is social we are democratic. Heaven forbid we care for each other! No way man! We watch out for “me!” Those who have will have and those who don’t will die. I can imagine you saw a huge difference.

        Reply

      • 1dad1kid
        August 26, 2012

        Very sadly true. I was most amazed when I went to the Philippines. About 5 months prior they had a big typhoon which caused massive flooding. Mud was about 1.5 meters high in most buildings. There was absolutely no sign of it. They had come together, even people coming from other islands, to rebuild, clean, paint, etc. Yet in the US years later the areas hit by Katrina remain devastated.

        Reply

  3. Priyank Thatte
    August 25, 2012

    Hi Talon,
    Excellent post! I think that this culture of fear is a result of our general attitude of denial: I don’t have to worry about STDs, people like me don’t get infected, or, my teenage son can take the car, its the children of other parents that drink and drive, or if it wasn’t for all those foreigners, we’d never have these problems, and so on. So people’s natural tendency is to believe that their backyard is the safest place on earth and nothing wrong can happen there. When one hear news stories, it simply reinforces one’s prejudices. Happens all over the world, but it’s worse in USA (in my opinion). Travelling really opens your mind and perhaps makes the reality more accessible. Thanks for the post! 🙂
    cheers, Priyank

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 25, 2012

      Definitely! And I do agree the US is worse about that. They make good money on selling that fear, and it gives them some control over a sheeplike citizenry.

      Reply

  4. Ava Apollo
    August 20, 2012

    Well said. I’d never talk a walk alone at night where I live (Greater Los Angeles), but had no problem walking around Taipei alone at night. Sometimes I think where I’m from and where I live is the least safe place I’ve been…

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 20, 2012

      I have definitely seen that myself!

      Reply

  5. Cila Warncke
    August 16, 2012

    Important point, articulately stated. Thanks!

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 16, 2012

      Thank you

      Reply

  6. Flashpacker Family
    August 12, 2012

    Is it really the case that children aren’t allowed to walk to school without parental supervision? And that is, in fact, a crime? That just sounds absurd!

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 12, 2012

      There isn’t a law, and I don’t know that the charge was held, but it is a scary indicator of how things are going there & even in the UK. More & more we’re seeing less common sense & more nanny state. One school where we lived even banned riding bicycles to school because of the risk.

      Reply

  7. Erica Kuschel
    August 12, 2012

    It makes me wonder if I’ll end up with jail time for allowing our possibly future kid enjoy a freerange childhood.

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 12, 2012

      Just do it in a small town in the Pacific Northwest or New England, or in a foreign country, and you’ll be fine. LOL

      Reply

  8. Stacy
    August 12, 2012

    Wonderful!!!! I love to read these posts where you address situations that most vie away from. What a wonderfully thought out, well-written post! Thanks T.

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 12, 2012

      Thank you! Took me a while to decide I needed to speak up and say something. LOL

      Reply

  9. Heather
    August 12, 2012

    Well written! I have also been writing a lot about fear recently… included your link in my latest blog. Fear is a feeling. “Security” is also a feeling. People often talk about a “sense” of security… or about “feeling” safe. I think the relentless pursuit of “security” and “safeness” is a wild goose chase – and it robs us of LIFE! We’re all going to die… some day… some how. Such a pity that so many people miss out on LIFE due to their misguided fears about death. You guys – of course – show the world that there is another way – a better way. Thanks for writing this! 🙂

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 12, 2012

      Well said! Thank you.

      Reply

  10. Josh
    August 12, 2012

    So eloquently written and well explained. I completely agree with your point of view on this. I’m always encouraged to see another person not ruled by fear but sees the beauty in this world and focuses on that.

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 12, 2012

      Thank you!

      Reply

  11. Larson Langston
    August 11, 2012

    Love you man, great article

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 11, 2012

      Gracias amigo!

      Reply

  12. Carolyn Sasek
    August 11, 2012

    Reminds me of a conversation that I had with a cousin of mine (a then Florida resident) decades ago: I asked “Christie, when are you coming to California?” to which she replied “I ain’t comin’ out there, Ya’ll have Earthquakes!” I then responded “Well ‘Ya’ll have Hurricanes!!” … She then said “Well at least we can see’em comin’!!” … Touche’

    I guess it’s all a matter of perspective… and such is life, indeed.

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 11, 2012

      Have to agree w/her about hurricanes vs earthquakes. LOL But yes, indeed. Definitely agree.

      Reply

  13. Mary
    August 11, 2012

    Wonderful post! The culture of fear is so oppressive in the US, that it is hard to know where to start to push it aside. I thunk one thing travel has done for us is to relax us a whole lot! My boys have so much more freedom to explore, learn, and make mistakes now that we are traveling. We have decided to not let fear over rule our lives and I am so glad to see you have done the same:)

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 11, 2012

      Most definitely! Tigger has enjoyed a level of independence, self-reliance, and freedom through our travels unparalleled to what he could have if we lived in the States.

      Reply

  14. Kirsty Bartholomew
    August 11, 2012

    Excellent post :O) I really wish my OH would watch less news in our house because it is all sooooo negative and you can really forget how fantastic the world actually is. My 12 yo son is really worried about travelling to certain countries in the world because of what he sees on the telly and it’s quite scary how entrenched that feeling is in him (although he has always been the worrier of our household). I hope some actual experiences might help him think differently.

    In the UK, I also grew up with the ‘don’t speak to strangers’ thing and as a parent it was really strange to then actually not impress that on my kids. I want them to know that if I am around it’s absolutely fine to speak to people and not everyone is some monster waiting to take them away. All it takes is another bad thing to happen though and the world goes crazy and thinks it happens all the time.

    As always common sense goes a long way :O)

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 11, 2012

      Ahh, that elusive common sense. I fear we’re facing an epic drought in that area.

      Reply

  15. Elizabeth
    August 11, 2012

    I second what Lainie said: beautifully put! You know if I ever put one thing critical of government, specifically the US, and how control is being used in every sector of live and sold because we are ;unsafe’, I get harassed about it. But if I criticize North Korea, then it’s ok!! But if I say talk about the TSA and how they are molesting people ( and bye the way a woman was arrested for touching them back, as she was showing them ‘how does it feel if I do it to YOU?’) I am a conspiracy theorist and anti American, siding with the so called terrorists. You really isolated the ‘why’ when you said that fear sells. As David Icke says, it’s Problem, Reaction, Solution: people buy into a supposed solution to keep them safe even if it violates their rights, IF the problem is sold to them appropriately, ie ‘if we don’t have TSA feeling you up at airports ( and now at some proms and bus stops), you could be a victim of an attack’.

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 11, 2012

      You are definitely correct. And that is an interesting comment about places like North Korea. Very true, and it IS highly hypocritical. People will sometimes do anything to feel safe, and I believe the government takes advantage of that.

      Reply

  16. Shelley Breedlove
    August 10, 2012

    No truer words were ever written. I always laugh when I think about how wonderful my childhood was and how many things I enjoyed. For the record, my Sunday’s were spent in the Barrio Logan of San Diego. I was never bothered. My father taught us how that showing respect rather than fear was the way to get through life. I believe we can learn a lot from other cultures and the way they lead their lives. We need to spend more time as a family unit and explore, and live life to the fullest, and not worry about the things we cannot control. Excellent post.

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 10, 2012

      Thank you! And I totally agree with you.

      Reply

  17. Susan Whitehead
    August 10, 2012

    I am a reformed fearaholic.  Well, mostly reformed. 🙂  It has been hard to get rid of some very deep mental thought patterns, but have really surprised myself in this year we’ve spent traveling.  Our whole family went for a walk, at night, in a neighborhood in Grenada, Nicaragua.  It was a bit scary because it was dark, but we were completely safe…and picked up some AMAZING tamales while we were out. 

    It is amazing to be in Mexico now and realize how fear controls so much of the US.  It really is sad, especially when fear is used to manipulate and control the population, like you said, in the name of “our safety as a nation”.  I’m afraid that is a path few people ever recover from.  I’m glad we’re giving our kids the chance to not have it engrained into their minds.

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 10, 2012

      What a great example! And I’m so happy for your children that they are getting to see this difference, especially in such formative years.

      Reply

  18. Linda
    August 10, 2012

    Excellent post. I know I’m not American but a lot of this applies to UK too. Americans are usually surprised when I tell them that I know Europeans who are too afraid to go to the US on vacation. 

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 10, 2012

      Who can blame them! And yes, I’m reading a lot of overreaction and similar destruction of civil liberties coming out of the UK. It’s very sad.

      Reply

    • Erica Kuschel
      August 12, 2012

      I always wondered about that… I’m sure people would be afraid to come here!

      Reply

      • 1dad1kid
        August 12, 2012

        Yeah, if I watched the news about people getting shot in schools, malls, movie theaters, etc., I think I’d be nervous as well!

        Reply

  19. Lainie Liberti
    August 10, 2012

    Beautifully expressed. Fear  exists solely in the mind. You remind us of all the horrific messages creating a culture of ‘fear’ to keep a culture under control. But it’s a choice isn’t it? Focus on the messages and allow your life be filled with fear, or focus on the adventure and allow your life to be filled with joy. I know what I am choosing. It’s so brilliant to read your choice too! 

    Love, love, LOVE you both!!!

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 10, 2012

      You are as eloquent as you are lovely. Thanks for your input. I really admire your point of view, which is why I linked to your article about fear. I really believe we can not only change our lives but the world for good simply by changing our focus. Love you both as well! XO

      Reply

  20. Darryl is Loving the Bike
    August 10, 2012

    Thanks for getting this out, Talon.  It needed to be said, and you’re living proof of all you speak.  You’re totally pushing all the right buttons for me on this one.

    Darryl

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 10, 2012

      Thanks, man!

      Reply

  21. Lei
    August 10, 2012

    oh, so true. honestly, i really hope there’re more people who think the same way as you do. In the end, the real american dream – getting a good job, health insurance, get happily married, get enough money and be happy and live in a safe country – is possible to reach anywhere except america. and that’s kinda sad…

    Reply

    • 1dad1kid
      August 10, 2012

      Boy, you hit the proverbial nail on the head with that statement. So right you are! And its is incredibly sad.

      Reply

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