Beliefs and Security

We all feel a sense of security by believing in something. Whether it's religious dogma, a business venture, marriage vows, the excuse offered by your 16-year-old, the stock market, or the benefits of prepping, you have attached a feeling labeled "security" to that belief.

That security - combined with memories, routine, various benefits, and a feeling of community associated with that belief - makes the world turn, so to speak.

And when that belief, thus that security, is threatened or removed, we feel panic, confusion, anger, and often hopelessness.

The collapsing economy is one example. Its ramifications are seen and heard daily in the media - or our own homes.

In the survivalist community we often describe this event as "sheeple" who have a "deer in the headlights" reaction.

But sometimes, no matter how informed we think we are; how stable a job; how dependable a relationship; or how successful a venture appears, we're blindsided by change.

What we knew or assumed is now questioned. What we depended on is undependable or unavailable. What we constructed our lives around has morphed into something we never expected. And now we must act. To not act is to be paralyzed. And paralysis is dangerous, if not deadly.

And, to add injury to insult, it's in the routine and "security" of our lives that we often discover we've been hoodwinked - or believed something because we wanted to believe.

Anyone who invested with Bernie Madoff knows this. But for most of us, it's something less newsworthy though no less troubling or painful.

So today, I caution all of you to examine your beliefs. They are, after all, what directs your every step.