Foreign Travel---Are Americans Safe?

Like 99% of information on the internet, this is just my humble opinion. And, you know that everyone has "one" of those, right?  There is a big and beautiful world out there. Personally, and from the point of view of a writer, I relish seeing and experiencing new places and meeting new people. Although, I admit to becoming a hermit when I write and living in this tiny corner where my laptop huddles.  I have reached a firm decision, however, that when my time to leave this planet arrives...whether it's going to sleep and never awakening (we all wish), a tree falls on me or any of the hundreds of methods of demise, it will be on American soil.

Of my friends, I would say that the beliefs of whether Americans are safe when traveling outside of the USA, is fairly evenly split between the "Oh, it's fine" and the "You are crazy".  Many have worked hard all their lives, they had big plans and dreams of seeing other parts of the world.  They want to stand in front of the fabulous sights and scenery, touch it, smell it, be right there. I sure would agree that there are stunning possibilities outside of  the US to see. The wide world, OMgoodness! it's amazing.

The big question, is it safe?  Just because something exists, is allowed doesn't mean it's right or should be done.  We, Americans are incredibly arrogant.  A good many believe that our American skin is a glowing suit of armor and we will, of course, be just fine where ever we go. We just think that if it is there, we certainly can have it, indeed we are entitled to it. Let's get real folks, they do not like us. When I say "they", I mean a very large number of the inhabitants of the world.  Some that just are not amused by us and a huge number that actively hate us.  When we travel outside the USA these days, we might as well have a big target painted on our back.

I realize that many would have loud arguments as to this opinion.  Why would you live in fear? why would you not see the wonders of the world?  That's just paranoid and stupid, they would say. I'm sorry, but I can still hear my mother say, "If all your friends jumped off the bridge, are you going to?" There is the possibility that exhilarating cool waters await your splashdown, there is also the very real possibility that freakin' pirahnnas lurk beneath the surface.  I mean where is the point where your little alarm bell dings?  How many Americans have to be kidnapped or killed, out of the country,  before you doubt your invincibility?  How many cruise ships have to become stranded, fill up with diseased passengers, have a murder or sink before you decide you might not want to take a cruise at this time? If someone asked you, "Is the viewing of a pyramid worth your life?", it would be easy to answer. Problem is, so many of us just do not believe that "stuff" can happen to us. They consider that to be an irrelevant question.

As I said, just my opinion.  It's everybody's personal choice and no place in the world has more freedom to make those choices than America. For me, there's still so much of the beauty of America that I haven't seen and I prefer to take my risks, perhaps cruising up the Mississippi River or standing up close to Mount Rushmore. As the talented Tanya said, "When I die I may not go to heaven. Well, I don't know if they let cowgirls in. If they don't, just send me on Texas...Boy, Texas is as close as I've been." 

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Deep Dark Dystopia

Since, in reality, I didn't even intend to write a book, I certainly did not realize that I would write a dystopian fiction novel.  As I have said, two of my interests collided, a love for writing and a new found belief in preparing for a future that could be extremely changed by more than one disastrous scenario.

I admit that I only had a vague idea of what the word dystopia meant and it was after I had my first novel finished, that I knew that the category or subject of my writing was indeed, dystopian fiction.  The definition of dystopia is the opposite of utopia. An imaginary place where people live fearful lives due to a changed world. So, the books that I wrote this past year are definitely about that.

What my books are not about, is a deep and dark dystopian existence.  My stories are not about what happened to the world, they're about how my characters are able to survive the what. I am basically an optimist and I absolutely believe in being prepared, planning, and using your smarts and ingenuity to live, even in our present world and for certain in a post disaster world.  I want to explore the possibilities of living with change.  So, there are no zombies or challenges that don't have a chance of my characters overcoming them. Very little bad language, no explicit sex, people and families joining together and working together to survive.  These are the stories that I choose to tell, the stories that excite me and my imagination.

I have had readers who were disappointed. Critics who have commented that "that was too convenient, that was too easy, don't think it would be that way, not enough action and violence...."  After a bit of hand wringing I realized, they absolutely have the right to read, watch or even participate in anything they wish. To each his own.  I have to write what I imagine, my vision of a fictional future. My vision is not dark and hopeless, but difficult, dangerous, challenging and hopeful. 

A good friend asked me to read over the beginning of his book based on some of his Vietnam war experiences. He kept warning me, "there's lot of bad language."  I told him that just because my books are not full of bad language, does not mean that his story shouldn't have any. As a writer, you must be true to your story. A military, war story would obviously have the language of real people in those real situations.

My point here is (thought I'd never make it, didn't you?")  As a writer, be true to your own story and style. You'll never please everybody and you will not be able to make romance readers enjoy your action thriller. Other than the hard learned lessons about grammar and editing, you must write your story, your way.  As a reader, be careful to read descriptions and "blurbs" about any book you are considering to read. Don't buy a light romance and be disappointed because the writer doesn't describe every little romantic "encounter" in explicit detail and don't buy No Normal Day (a dystopian family survival story) and feel cheated because Jack, the family man doesn't become a zombie and chew off the head of his neighbor. 


Your comments are always welcome.  JO