InkUnderNails

"We" tolerate it as we have become a society, for whatever reason, that is no longer a "we" society. There are exceptions, but we no longer think as "we the people" we think in terms of "I the person." What is best for me? How can I gain advantage upon another? The concept of "we can survive this if we work together" is disappearing. It's every man for himself.

The evidence is everywhere. Talking in the theater. Getting cut off in traffic. Families that walk side by side at a snails pace while others are trying to get around them. People that stop in the jetway rather than waiting until they get in the open area of the waiting area to put on a jacket or adjust their luggage.

We have become the society of the oblivious. The only world that exists is ours.

This extends to the CP. Let's face it, for the vast majority of travelers, some that even post here, the only thing that matters it that they get through the CP and get to their flight, so they will not be late. Everyone else? The heck with them, they just need to suck it up and handle it.

The TSA recognizes this and perpetuates systems that individualize us so that we lose sympathy for those around us. They may not do it purposefully, or maybe they do, it does not matter. It is what their system does.

Here is the oddity. We were only founded as a country by coming together in a common purpose of which one of the primary objectives is individual liberty. We continued for many years to recognize that our individual liberty was guaranteed by the one thing for which we gave up our individuality, the willingness to collectively fight for the lost liberty of others, even at our own individual cost. We recognized that if the least protected in our society could lose a guaranteed liberty, that we could as well. So we fought for them, we fought with them, and we protected our liberty by protecting theirs. We often did this accepting great risk.

We are quickly losing that if it is not lost already. The sad truth is that a vast majority of the people that went through the CP that day and every day, boarded their flight uneventfully and proceeded to their destination. They just really do not care what happened to anyone else in the process. Even if they knew they would not care as it did not happen to them. They survived. That is all that matters.

There are those of us on this forum that have pledged to do what they can to change the process for everyone, even if it involves a varying level of personal risk and cost. That is admirable and it is worthy of being done. Late in life, I am learning the value of our liberty, and I have pledged to fight for it. I am willing to fight for it. I do so by little things like standing up to the officious martinets that inhabit the CP. I look out for my fellow travelers and offer help and provide guidance. Every time I go through the CP. I wait at the exit, slowly putting myself back together, watching for abusive and cruel behavior. I prepare myself to defend the innocent, even though I know it may cost me time and I just might miss my flight.

Is it a big deal? No, it is entirely too little, but it is what I do.

So, while it greatly saddens me about what happened to this person, while I wish that I could do something to lessen the pain, while I regret that I did not have the opportunity to step up and protect them, I also recognize that I am one of the few that cares. That, saddens me even more. As a society we have lost both the desire to care and the wherewithal to do something about it even if we did.