On Christmas Day, a Nigerian, trained in Yemen whose own father had warned us about his danger named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab almost blew up a Northwest airliner above Detroit. He bought a one way ticket. He paid in cash. He boarded the plane without any luggage—he was going to Detroit in December (!!!). We let him get on the plane. He brought explosives onto the plane in his underwear. He failed to blow the plane up, but as President Obama said, “We dodged a bullet.” Now, many are scrambling to come up with new security procedures that will “keep us safe.” Of course, we must do what is reasonable.
Most of what is being recommended now, however, seems sort both invasive (horribly) and fruitless. Again, we will punish the obviously harmless and the dangerous will, I fear, slip past our nets. Some experts have already pointed out ways that most of our security measures can be overcome. We need to get comfortable with this conclusion—if we have a free society, we will be vulnerable to attacks of cruel, violent men intent on our destruction. We can only be safe from men like this by ceasing to be what we are—free. Any rational system of security can be overcome by time and rationality.
This goes for more than airlines, however, it goes for all of life. We cannot be financially free and secure. We cannot love freely without risking that our hearts will be broken. There is no way around it, but we really want one.
I have always been attracted to the freedom side of this equation (although like any parent I have an appreciation for the security side of the equation as well). It risks more, but it presents the possibility for the deeper more consistent joy. It also presents the haters of freedom with a real and winsome alternative to their embrace of death.
This is one of the reasons that I love classical Christian education so much. It can build a foundation for deep loves and for consistent, abiding joys.
