A disturbing thought: if we were sensible about the risks, and refused to be unreasonably afraid, we might see greater loss of life, as the terrorists would have to kill more people to make us afraid.
To stay alive, act like everyone is out to kill you.
Unfortunately it doesn't help us move towards a safer world by addressing any of the root causes, but it does keep more of us (poeple who use the road) alive.
Your recklessness is judged by the extra harm risked.
You can't just waive it away because other risk is more dangerous across the entire nation. Under that standard: One little murder is a rounding error compared to the 2.5 mil who die each year.
Human beings will ultimately act like human beings in these situations. It's very easy to expect something else when you're not the human being under threat.
The only way to prevent human beings from acting in the default way human beings act is rigorous evidence-based training. No proposition that there must have been something else they could have done is meaningful unless it's backed up by specific, rigorous, evidence-based training for the situation in question.
Absent that, we're asking people to respond to threats unrealistically. We're making them sick and commanding them to be well.
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