The Irrationality of Fear

L.A. School Shut Down, San Bernardino and Syrian Refugees Keep the
Fear Level Alive
Phil Johnson, Ph.D.
December 17, 2015
On Tuesday, the two largest school districts in the U.S. received terror threats against their
schools. New York Citys schools remained open. Los Angeles, in an unprecedented move, shut
down the entire public school system - more than 640,000 students stayed home. The FBI
assessed that the email threat was a hoax and not credible - In L.A., it didnt matter. Terrorism
and fear won - without lifting a new finger. Maybe for L.A. the San Bernardino shootings were
too closetoo recent. And from coast to coast, second guessing and opinions have been
flying. The basic themes have been either, We cannot overreact to threats of terrorism, or
Better to be safe than sorry.
With the terrorist attacks in Paris in November, the San Bernardino attacks in December, the
debate and fear over Syrian refugees and the constant media blather (never underestimate the
use of fear in a political campaign year) - there is a lot of ammunition to stoke fear, reasonable
and unreasonable.
So, as we near the end of 2015, I thought it would be a good idea to put some perspective on
our world - to again, try to look at our world in a
different, clearer context.
1. Whats the deal with ISIS? ISIS is real - and
they are a real problem. They are the
wealthiest and most organized terrorist
organization in the world and they are not
contained in the way President Obama would
like for us to believe. But on the other hand, I
visited Iraq in September and met with
Peshmerga soldiers for a second time. The
Peshmergas could get rid of the ISIS threat if
they were simply given the tools (weapons

and support) and the permission to do so. The biggest problem with getting rid of ISIS
seems to be the myriad of conflicting political interests that are at the heart of international
actors - much of it surrounding Syria.
While in Iraq, I also visited with Father Douglas Al
Bazi, a Chaldean priest who is active in helping
some of the 100,000 Christian refugees who fled
ISIS in a 24-hour period from Mosul and the
surrounding areas. Father Douglas told me that
Christians have been in this region of the world
since the first century - a constant light. And more
recently, Christians have served as a buffer between
the violence of the Shiite and Sunni Muslims in this
region. He projected that ISIS would be a problem
until it wasnt - in other words, they are the terrorists
of the moment - but would eventually be destroyed.
The problem, says Father Douglas, is what will come
after ISIS. He says that the next threat are the Shia militias, supported by Iran, a Shiite
Muslim nation. And when they come, says the Priest, the Christian presence will be gone
from the region - removing the light and the buffer that they have been. He says, When
we are gone, and when the Shia Militias come, there will be nothing but darkness - so much
darkness that they will not even recognize each other.
Christian leaders of all kinds in the U.S. still have an opportunity to be light in this world.
Hearing the priests words reminded me of the responsibility those in the free world have to
impact and influence the world - while we still can - not to allow fear to dictate our lives Instead, we must use our freedom to see the world, to understand the world, to impact the
world and make what difference we can.
2. Statistics and Likelihood of Terrorism: Terrorism isnt new. But it feels new and seems new
with each incident - because it appears to be random. Psychologists indicate that one of
the reasons that terrorism works is because it causes us to feel that we are not in control of
the situation. When we feel were not in control, we try to take control back - whether its
logical or not. The principle is demonstrated by how people feel about flying. Flying is

much safer than driving - but when you fly, you are relinquishing control to a pilot. When
you drive, you feel like you are in control of your safety. A very false sense of security!
I believe that the threat of terrorism is real. I believe in wisdom and safety. But I do not
believe that I can completely control my safety, nor do I believe that I should alter my life
and choices in significant ways. Security exists only in the hands of God. Consider these
statistics:
On November 13, when 130 people in France were murdered by terrorists, nearly three
times that number of French citizens died of cancer on the same day. (http://
ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Causes_of_death_statistics)
Since September 11, 2001, Americans were as likely to be killed by a terrorist as to be
crushed by unstable TVs and fur niture (The Washington Post -https://
www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/11/23/youre-more-likely-to-befatally-crushed-by-furniture-than-killed-by-a-terrorist/)
According to CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-shooting-terrorism-gunviolence/) between 2001 and 2013 a total of 3380 Americans have been killed by
terrorists - at home and abroad. But remember, about 3000 of those deaths occurred in
conjunction with the original 9/11 attacks. During the same time period, 406,496 people
were killed in the U.S. due to firearms - including accident, homicides and suicides. (And
no - I am not making an argument for gun control - Im a fan of the 2nd Amendment!)
3.The Value and Cost of Freedom
How far are you willing to go for freedom? In October,
I was in Seoul, South Korea and I sat with North
Korean defector, Cheol Woong Kim, to hear his story.
He told me that in 2001, he was arrested in North
Korea for playing a Western love song on the
piano. (He had heard the song when the North
Korean government sent him to study music in
Moscow - he was learning it for his girlfriend.) As a
professional musician, he was only allowed to play
patriotic songs - songs that would honor the dear
North Korean leader, Kim, Jong-Un. After being

arrested and filling out a ten-page report, it dawned upon him that life was too short to be
told what he could and could not play on the piano - not to mention what else he was not
permitted to express.
So, he took $2000 from his mother and escaped to China - where as an illegal immigrant,
he worked hard labor on a farm, until one day someone told him about a small church in
the woods that had a piano. When he saw it, he wept - the instrument of his life - the object
of his expression. The church hired him to play the piano for them - and in time, he gave his
life to Christ and with the help of a Christian missionary, eventually made his way out of
China and into South Korea, where he now lives and works.
Today he gives concerts, teaches music at a university and directs a youth orchestras made
up of young North Korean refugees. His abiding theme is this: Freedom. I left everything
behind, my parents, my brother, my job, my country, my life - for freedom.
Was it worth it? I asked. Yes, says, A thousand times yes.
We live in an open society - and a country that still offers us more freedom than almost any
other place on earth. With freedom comes risk and responsibility. There are no guarantees but there have never been guarantees. People should always use reasonable wisdom when
dealing with the unknowns and uncertainties of the world. Yes, our world will always throw new
challenges at us - seeming constraints, as it were. But knowing that we cannot control
everything should encourage us to live- to live as free people who do meaningful things with
their lives. People who turn our constraints into lives of beauty and purpose. The bottom line is
this: If you are free - then you should act like it.