| What are you afraid of? | | | | "I always wanted to," was all he said. |
| Remember when we were young and some kid was | | | | About that time I looked up at one of the TV's over |
| trying to get you to crawl in a hole or something. He | | | | the bar and saw, on one of the "News" channels, a |
| would always dare us with a phrase like, "What are | | | | story about corporate CEO's getting millions of dollars |
| you scared of?" For some reason, "Snakes, spiders, | | | | for running their companies, customers and country into |
| ghosts, cave-ins and suffocation," were apparently not | | | | the ground. I pointed to the TV and asked, "Why do |
| sufficient answers. The human animal (OK, mostly just | | | | they do it?" |
| the male of the species) will do anything to avoid being | | | | "I guess that's what they always wanted to do," the |
| called, "chicken." I wonder if this applies to chickens. | | | | officer shrugged. |
| Maybe the government should do some research | | | | It reminded me of a young friend who served three |
| The question is coming up a lot in these uncertain | | | | tours in the Gulf, one in Afghanistan and two in Iraq. He |
| times. Isn't it amazing how many of the things we are | | | | was wounded and served valiantly. At his coming |
| afraid of were, until recently, called institutions of our | | | | home party I asked him if he had been scared. He |
| society? Banks and brokers have replaced spiders | | | | said, "Sure, I'm not stupid. But what really scares most |
| and snakes in our nightmares. But I was recently | | | | of the guys over there is when we hear what we're |
| witness to an awful event that led me to believe there | | | | doing compared to Vietnam." |
| is hope for the future. I was at my favorite watering | | | | I joked that I would have thought it would be those |
| hole when a lady across the room just lost it. She | | | | bullets going really fast around your head.He said, "I'm |
| went into hysterics and started screaming and then | | | | serious. When they compare us to Vietnam, I'm afraid |
| passed out on the floor. | | | | they are going to take it over and run it from |
| The management called the police, who got there | | | | Washington, and make it another Vietnam." |
| quickly and handled the situation professionally and with | | | | My young friend is more than a hero. He is a man of |
| a noticeable amount of compassion for the woman. | | | | character. He is studying business at the University, |
| After the EMT's had taken her away, one of the | | | | now. |
| officers was doing his paperwork. I said, "Dirty job," and | | | | What am I afraid of? I'm afraid my friend will come out |
| he just looked at me and nodded. | | | | of college, and we will just have another businessman. |
| "Why do you do it?" I asked. | | | | That would be like plucking a rose and planting a weed. |