Being a father and then a grandfather has made me progressively more interested in how to protect kids. One of the best ways is by teaching them to be aware of their surroundings and not to be paranoid, but to be intelligent and careful. If someone is scaring them, it’s generally a good idea to get away from that person. Most commonly it may just be coincidental behavior, but avoid that one time when the person really is after you.
Laura wrote a good entry on this topic and also about apathy. Why is it that we find it so easy to stay aloof from the problems of others?
It reminds me of the line from the Hitchhiker’s Guide series (actually in Life, The Universe, and Everything). Ford is explaining to Arthur:
“An S.E.P.,” he said, “is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, becasue we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what S.E.P. means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out; it’s like a blind spot. If you look at it directly you won’t see it unless you know precisely what it is. Your only hope is to catch it by surprise out of the corner of your eye.”
I think we all have plenty of SEPs in our lives!
Thanks for the link. (I love the Hitchhiker’s series, and the BBC radio version is pretty good too.) One thing I love about the book of James is that it turns S.E.P.s into M.P.s – my problems!
Yes! I love using popular secular literature like that to bring out a good lesson. The lesson can be titled “Overcoming the S.E.P.!”
Or may “S.E.P. to M.P.” That should keep ‘em guessing.