Today, I want you to take a moment—not to think about alarms, locks, or neighborhood watch signs—but about real safety.
I’m not talking about seatbelts and crosswalks. I’m not talking about passwords or surveillance cameras.
I’m talking about the safety we feel—or don’t feel—in our daily human interactions.
Ask yourself this:
Do you feel safe in your dealings with others?
And just as importantly:
Do others feel safe in their dealings with you?
I like to think that the answer to the second question is yes. I strive to create that space, to be that person.
But as for the first—the way I feel in my own interactions with others—the answer is a heavy, uncomfortable no.
The Many Faces of Fear
I don’t feel safe because thievery has evolved. It’s not just about stolen wallets anymore—it’s identities, data, time, and energy. People take what they can get away with, and they take it without flinching.
I don’t feel safe because we’ve started romanticizing criminals and their tactics, giving them airtime and aesthetic. We’ve allowed them to become cultural icons.
I don’t feel safe because human life seems negotiable. Its value, it seems, depends on who you are, who you look like, and what someone else has decided your worth is.
I don’t feel safe because I can no longer find a reliable source of information to learn the truth. The news is bias and polluted.
I don’t feel safe because spying, backbiting, and gossip are not only common—they’re fashionable.
I don’t feel safe because ignorance is rampant. People walk around unaware of their own rights, let alone anyone else’s.
I don’t feel safe dealing with merchants because I know—more often than not—I’m being overcharged simply because they can.
I don’t feel safe because people rely on scripted auto-replies to justify harm or failure, and they don’t even remember saying them. The “white lies” we use to polish public images have become the rule, not the exception.
I don’t feel safe because of a lack of transparency. Most people are overprotective because they’ve been hurt before, and so the truth becomes collateral damage in their defense.
I don’t feel safe because we don’t have a shared ethical compass anymore. What’s right and what’s wrong has become a matter of personal preference, desire, and convenience.
I don’t feel safe because politics has become theater, and politicians rarely act in service of the collective good.
I don’t feel safe when governments seem more loyal to corporations than to communities.
I don’t feel safe in a world where wars are waged not for survival, but for control—where human lives are bartered for oil, influence, and territory.
The very systems designed to protect us often become the architects of our anxiety.
The social contract feels broken, or rewritten in fine print we’re not allowed to read.
What Kind of Safety Are We Offering Each Other?
When we think about safety, we often picture locks, passwords, or gated communities. But emotional safety, moral safety, psychological safety—these are the kinds that shape us more deeply and more quietly.
When someone interacts with you, do they leave the conversation feeling stronger, clearer, more grounded?
Or do they walk away feeling smaller, suspicious, or unsure?
In a world where the social norm is to perform rather than connect, where people market themselves more than they express themselves, and where deflection is the default setting, true safety becomes rare—and precious.
A Call for Honest Presence
Safety is not just something to demand—it’s something to create. It’s something we build with words, intentions, and presence.
We build safety when we choose honesty over convenience.
We build it when we choose transparency over optics.
We build it when we choose to listen fully and respond sincerely—even when it’s uncomfortable.
We don’t just owe each other that—we owe ourselves that.
Because a world full of alarm systems and encryption keys can still feel terrifying if you can’t trust the people around you.
So I ask you again:
Do others feel safe in their dealings with you?
And what can you do to make the answer a resounding yes?
