It can be dangerous out there. It’s reasonable to be scared sometimes. Especially when we are responsible for keeping loved ones safe, we sometimes feel like wrapping them in bubble wrap isn’t enough. Except, of course, it’s silly. (As illustrated in Alice in the Looking Glass, where Tweedledee and Tweedledum in formed Alice that everything they’d found for armor must go on them somehow.) We have to find a balance between reasonable precautions, and preventing ourselves from being able to do anything else.

A storm cellar is a great idea during a tornado, but you wouldn’t want to live in one all the time. Back in the days of armor, warriors always tried to balance their armor between giving protection and allowing flexibility (and maybe being able to carry it a long way). In the modern world we try to balance avoiding things that are unhealthy with cost and convenience. Keeping safe is important, but not the only consideration.

In this unpredictable world, we often worry whether we need to protect ourselves from those who might see us as dangerous. While mob mentality is dangerous and can sweep ordinarily folks to extremes (how do sports fans get to a mood where they turn cars over?), it is probably more dangerous to us if we get caught up in it ourselves than in the dramatic scenes we know so well from movies. Bullies like to talk about violence, but without a mob to hide in and reinforce their feelings of justification, are unlikely to actually attack. They may try to look for local ordinances they can use to bully anyone they see as “Other”. So remind them that no matter your differences, you have more in common.

I’ve always felt the greatest form of safety to me and my family from attack by people who’ve been told that my very existence is a threat to them is being on good terms with my neighbors. If we bring cookies to bake sales, rakes to ‘clean the common’ days, teach the scouts to identify poison ivy and the jewel-weed that stops the rash, work the polls on election day, tell fortunes at charity fairs, and chaperone school field trips, if someone suggests that I’m exposing their kids to dangerous influences, the people around them will point out that they’re being ridiculous. On the other hand, if we never hang around with anyone but at festivals and conferences, they may not know us well enough to say. We have a lot in common with local neighbors, we chose to move to the towns where we live, whether we attend the same religious services or share the same hobbies. As with dating, the best way to get to know someone is to work on a common project with them, not share a drink.

You don’t need to have large numbers of friends who practice magick, hunt ghosts, develop their psychic talents, or share religious practices living near you. You probably should get to know those who you bump into at the grocery store, library, recycling center, or farmers market. You may not root for the same team, or support the same party, but your taxes pay for the local schools, you worry about the same local watershed, or downtown development. If you run for local office, or volunteer at the local hospital, you’ll get to know more local people that way. The best way to find safety in numbers during a crisis is to feel solidarity with your neighbors. Giving a neighbor a ride to the doctors, or sharing a casserole when they’re sick brings more security than stockpiling supplies for the zombie apocalypse. (On the other hand, I’m not entirely certain whether leaving a bag of zucchini on their porch is a good idea.)