Kim: Mom said your job made you paranoid.
Bryan: Well, my job made me aware.

— Taken

There are things that I saw and did in a former profession that make me somewhat paranoid about my government, and to be honest, the world in general.  Once you’ve seen how horribly an unchecked junta can treat those who it does not need or does not like, you have a jaundiced eye toward actions which, to others, seem pretty innocuous.

One mass grave full of men and boys is enough to convince me that helpless citizens are to their government as sheep are to wolves.  Seeing abject poverty on such a scale that it seems normal to those living in it, but then driving less than an hour to find luxury beyond any imagining has made me wary of government propping up the super wealthy for any reason.  Watching my teachers cry bitter tears as they described mass rapes of women of all ages was enough to convince me that no woman should ever be left helpless by disarmament and culture.  Seeing the bodies of children who have been starved, broken, and worse made me cherish my own children, all children, that much more.

I guess what I’m saying is that the more you learn about how horrible the world truly is, the more you will come to appreciate the parts that are wonderful.  That knowledge will show you just how important it is to protect and defend those things that bring light to a very dark existence.  Knowing about the world and seeing it with your eyes wide open should not immobilize you with fear.  Rather, it should force you to action, armed fully with the knowledge and skills you need to protect that which deserves protection and to bring down that which threatens those small islands of decency and beauty.