I have gone through the airport security check rigamarole at least 500 times: Notebook out, belt off, no liquids. Sometimes shoes off, sometimes all liquids in a separate plastic bag, cords out or pants down… (Well that happend only once…) It’s all for the good of passengers! Its all for the good of the passangers? Its all for the good of the world? Millions of people travelling daily. A small army of security agents are in place in every moment, with high tech equipment as well. Billions of dollars spent annually to potentially save the lives of a few hundred people. The risk of potential terrorists is real, they are there, but as we can see, nothing can stop them; the clever ones can smuggle equipment onto the planes as they please, and then change the entire world economy with a small move. Remember the small liquid case in London? Smuggled watery stuff changed the amount of liquid to be brought through security instantly, with the result that you can now buy water after you go to security, but at twice the price. What would happen if we would spend those billions of dollars to cure malaria? Even focusing on curing already infected children (and counting a very expensive $100 USD medicine) 1,000,000 lives could be saved annually in Sub saharian Africa.
Not to mention the preventive anti-mosquito nets which can be purchased for 1 Euro each. I guess this is all about the selfish attitude of the western world, against those who try to attack it. I believe it would be much better to develop societies where human basic needs are met, creating good conditions for everyone at home. And even though those who engage in terrorist activities are usually from the middle class, in the long term, strenghtening those societies,would eventully make the world a better place, so we would not need to spend some hours of our lives wasting time lining up for costly security checks… Or maybe thats my selfish wish only?
