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Illusions Of Safety

By John Dietz - Email Editor

Date: 18-Sep-2007

Dear Subscriber:

For the self-respecting businessperson, who is not privileged to the company Gulfstream or your own private jet, and forced to deal with commercial airlines and commercial airports, this one is for you.

A bit of a rant…

It was not that long ago when airports were in the midst of becoming interesting shopping malls and that the family pickups were a joyous Kodak moment. Today, under the guise of safety and security, the airport experience, and airlines in general, make traveling an unpleasant experience. The average traveler will still be dealing with the same muck and mire of airports and the idiosyncratic behavior caused by a system that cannot keep up with the society’s shifts.

I suppose that anytime masses have to move from one place to another regulations become the order of the day and common sense is replaced by rules of order. Airport security is there to protect us from the greater harm, but on my frequent trips I find myself intuitively aware of my safety, even to the point of protecting my ears.

Stand back and listen to the noise pollution in airports. A typical conversation noise level is 60dB. Anything above 120dB can cause instant hearing impairment. City traffic is 85dB; a 12-gauge shotgun is 165dB. On my last flight, the pilot and the flight attendant had obviously missed their Broadway callings. The decibel level of the flight announcement was that of a 70’s rock concert. The airport terminal was not much better as the announcement was most certainly the decibel level of a jackhammer.

This all sounds a bit tongue in cheek until you look at the facts. Dangerous Decibels, a public health group claims that of the roughly 40 million Americans suffering from hearing loss, 10 million can be attributed to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL can be caused by a one-time exposure to a loud sound as well as by repeated exposure to sounds at various loudness levels over an extended period of time.

Noise pollution is just one of the many parts of the downtrodden travel experience. In pre-9/11 days, my rant was generally related to the design of airports and their lack of functionality in regard to moving humans around. Today with new security measures and more travelers, the need for a paradigm shift is all too obvious.

On my last airport journey, which is what prompted this newsletter, I inadvertently left my cell phone in my pocket while going through security. No bells went off, but I got busted with a small bottle of water in my carry on that I forgot to drink. Hmm. The illusion of security is all around us.

The crux is that we as humans desire the feeling of safety; airports address this all too important subject daily and put your safety in their custody, whether it is our hearing or our lives as the plane leaves the gate. As humans forget they have a contraband water bottle, change, or cell phones in their pocket, and they go through security, they understand that by mistake they did not get caught. They now realize that they may have just experienced an illusion of safety.

The important lesson is that to discover an illusion, you must have awareness. The saying by the New York Metropolitan and Port Authorities, “If you see something, say something” makes sense and is the first step in uncovering the illusions that we face everyday with our safety, our health, and on the bigger front, our hard-earned assets. Instead of falling into the mentality of the desensitized masses, become aware of the journey as opposed to the destination.

On a positive note, one could argue that queuing up for security is a chance to meet an interesting life partner or perhaps a future business deal and make the experience worthwhile!

Until next time, 

John

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ABOUT THIS EDITOR:

John Dietz is a trademark executive with a passion for plan can encompass your business, your homes, and your personal life. serve to educate you on the latest in asset protection planning.

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