Perspectives Chapter 11

11

SECURITY

For better or worse we are sensitive beings. Sensitivity is the basis of fear and the desire to defend. Ever since the legendary Adam and Eve tasted from the 'tree of the knowledge of good and evil' people have been trying to protect themselves with a variety of means from fig leaves to space-age systems.

Basic Concepts

Sensitivity lies at the heart of the security issue. It is sensitivity that enables us to appreciate beauty and distinguish it from ugliness, know the difference between good and evil, to like and dislike, feel pleasure and pain. Without sensitivity we could have no values and preferences. There would be no internal criteria on which to make fundamental personal choices and whatever freedom actually existed would be meaningless. Sensitivity is not a simple thing. If it were, we could never grow, develop and experience the joys of in-depth understanding. We would never get any fun out of building something complex and making it work. It is sensitivity that enables us to 'experience', giving rise to a huge variety of feelings ranging from the explicit to the very subtle. The dictionary is full of them from anguish... to ...zeal.

It is both natural and rational to try to preserve what we like and to seek to prevent what we do not. This is the basic motive behind the pursuit of security. It is also here that the situation becomes complex and often confused. To begin with, our knowledge is imperfect and unsophisticated and our ability to discern the harmful from the beneficial is very underdeveloped. The crude protective measures we implement also stop much of the good from getting through, and they are very limited in their ability to resist the full range of possible assailants.

Security is a term which is vastly more meaningful when it is qualified. First we need to be more specific in what we are attempting to protect or prevent. Blanket statements such as 'protect ourselves from harm', are reasonable but unhelpful: We may as well be asking for a padded cell with impregnable walls! Security is a matter of kind and degree. For every measure that is taken against one possibility, there will be forces it cannot resist and other possibilities against which it is ineffective. One is reminded of the knight in shining armour who escaped death from a hail of arrows only to be knocked off his horse by a low branch he did not see in time.

Secondly, security is both a question of reality and perception. The reality is that bad experiences do happen to people and the world can be a dangerous place. However, it is known that the average person can see more violence on television in one evening than he is likely to observe in the real world in his lifetime. The possibility is very real, but the probability in fact is incredibly small. By contrast, the incidence of home burglary is very high in some areas and so is marriage breakdown, yet many people behave highly optimistically leaving their homes wide open and their relationships neglected. The point is that one's perception and feeling of security, or the lack of it, is often inconsistent with the reality. Our feelings of insecurity are strongly influenced by our experiences to such an extent that most people who suffer a misfortune will thereafter grossly exaggerate the probability of it happening and take extraordinary precautions. Others will underestimate their vulnerability because 'it has never happened' to them. A schoolgirl once boldly asserted in a debate on unreasonable restrictions, that she has lived fourteen years and in all that time she had never once been attacked, raped or murdered! The perceptions of security and insecurity are highly prone to distortion and manipulation and billion dollar industries thrive on our fears as a vehicle for selling their solutions.

The duality of perception versus reality is also reflected in the formal study of security. The objective science of security involves the complex interplay of power, skill and support; threat, risk analysis, planning, resources and damage control; strength and weakness; system integrity and vulnerability; cost and benefit; information, knowledge, predictability and insurance. It focuses on the reality of security and its problems. The psychology of security considers values, aims and objectives; fear, anxiety, trust; image and perception; faith, courage and confidence; needs, wants, preferences, attachment, dependency and belonging; and philosophies on security. In general, it deals with the personal issues related to the feelings of security and insecurity. Let us state from the outset that neither of these lists is exhaustive, however there is a strong relationship between them, particularly as the reality can have a powerful modifying influence on the feelings and these will, in turn, affect the actions taken.

If we examine any hypothetical situation that involves something that we wish to preserve or avoid, our reasons for wanting to do so may be immediate or more remote depending on whether they are ends in themselves or means to something else that we value directly. This is the difference between protecting ourselves and our money. The money is only a means to an end, and we must first have learned the connection before any sensitivity can attach itself to it. Our lives are a complex network of means and ends. In the quest for security, every 'end' we wish to protect may require a chain of 'means'. For example, the preservation of privacy requires confidentiality which needs a cabinet that must have a key in a secure location that is protected from unauthorised access ... and so on. At each stage the more vulnerable must be protected by the less vulnerable, the more valued by the less valued. If not, the necessary chain of protection would be irrational and never ending, nor would it serve to diminish our anxiety, but only transfer it to something else. One can be unwittingly caught in a situation where the total cost of protection is greater than the value of the item we are trying to protect.

The Subjective Assessment of Security

Let us assume that there is something particular that we wish to preserve. This item can be material or abstract and can include objects, people, relationships, ideas, prospects, in fact anything we may value.

Our sense of security in relation to that item will be increased by -

Our power to protect it.
The resources available to us to repair or replace it.
Our skill in handling threats to its integrity.
The strengths and robustness of the item.
The number of backups that can act as substitutes.
Our confidence in our ability to cope without it.
Any perceived fall in threats against the item in terms of possibility or probability.
Our familiarity with the environment of the item.

Our sense of security will be diminished by -

Our sensitivity (attachment) to the condition of the item.
The weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the item.
The extent to which the effective loss of the item threatens something we value even more.
Any perceived increase in threats against the item.
The cost in real and opportunity terms of restoring the item.
Our doubts and uncertainties about anything that has a bearing on the item, such as its robustness, the existence and intensity of threats, our ability to defend it, our ability to restore it or cope with its loss.

Permanence and Maintenance

There is a saying that the only constant in life is 'change'. It contains an element of truth, but it is not universally correct. Permanence is a continuum that varies from the short-lived to the everlasting, and any item can be located somewhere within this range. A butterfly is nearer to the most transient end while the laws of physics are much closer to the other. In general, the more fundamental the item is, the less conditional its existence and the more enduring and permanent it will naturally be. Less fundamental things can be made permanent only to the extent that it is possible to maintain the necessary conditions on which they depend. This is particularly notable in human culture where it is said that around ninety percent of activity is maintenance - trying to preserve naturally impermanent things that we value. It involves a continual expenditure on restoration or renewal until the resources run out or the motivation ceases.

The issue of permanence is highly relevant to the pursuit of security from the economic point of view. The more fundamental and deeper our values, the more permanent and less vulnerable they are and the less resource draining their maintenance will be. Correspondingly, the greater will be our sense of security.

The Feeling of Insecurity

What makes one person feel more insecure than another?

Differences in:

Values, needs.
Sensitivity - innate and learned fear.
Specific life skills.
Internal resources - health, energy reserves.
Marketable skills - ability to earn support.
External resources and support in relation to needs.
Their experiences of vulnerability,
Knowledge, understanding & perception of environment.
Religious beliefs.
Learned attitudes - suspicion, cautiousness, orientation to competition versus cooperation, optimism versus pessimism versus realism.
Control of thoughts and imagination.
Robustness of self image and identity - humility.
Confirmed belonging, acceptance and affirmation by others whose relationships we value.

Belonging and the Sense of Security.

Belonging to a supportive group, particularly if it is accompanied by unconditional acceptance, is likely to make us feel that there are more resources available to us to protect what we value and more 'willing support' we can draw upon to handle any demanding situations. In this, it diminishes our feelings of 'aloneness' and the pressures of self-reliance. The knowledge that we are contributing to the group may subdue any doubts we have about ourselves and our abilities, and make us feel that we have a 'legitimate' claim on their assistance when we are in trouble. It provides a form of security in its own right in that it helps to satisfy our need for stable relationships. Being a welcome part of such a circle allows us to accept our idiosyncrasies and explore ourselves more deeply in a safer setting. It provides ongoing confirmation of the validity of who we think we are and our 'value' as people. This, in turn, increases our confidence in ourselves. Like all systems, however, it can induce its own dependency, possibly inhibiting the development of security at a deeper level. The ideal is clearly a proper balance between interdependence and independence.

Dependency

Total independence in providing all of our needs is not realistically possible in modern society and even if it were, people cooperating will always be able to achieve a higher quality of life than each in isolation. In an interdependent society, a major part of our security will necessarily be conditional. We must 'purchase' most of our material and social needs by contributing something of comparable value. While we are able to earn an income, material security is rarely a problem. Not all of our social needs, however, can be bought with money and their satisfaction may require special characteristics and skills to attract the desired attention from the right person. Such is often the case with establishing intimate personal relationships. If we fail, as long as we are emotionally mature, we generally learn to live without what we cannot have.

The problem of dependency arises when a person lacks confidence in his ability to replace something or someone that fulfils a need, and cannot see himself living at a tolerable level without it. Such a relationship is dominated by excessive attachment based on fear. Often it degenerates into a power struggle involving deception and manipulation through which the very thing they want to preserve is destroyed. Dependence is natural and socially acceptable where, due to circumstances beyond his control, a person cannot contribute enough to society to afford the basic necessities of life. Where dependence is based on personal insecurity as distinct from inability, the problem requires deeper investigation with a professional approach.

Security and Meaning

In any adventure there is risk. We are necessarily operating in a situation which we perceive to be comparatively insecure at least in some respects, otherwise it would be difficult to regard it as anything more than continuing to explore our comfort zone. To induce us to get involved, the adventure must offer us hope of gaining something of greater value. In other words, it must be meaningful to us in some way. The greater the meaning, the stronger the motivation and the higher the risk or insecurity we are willing to accept. This 'insecurity', however, has an important difference - it is taken on voluntarily and is more superficial than the values being pursued through the adventure.

Meaning and security are also related in a deeper way. A consciousness of meaning in our lives, especially when it is associated with making a contribution through useful work, reinforces our self respect, and thereby helps us to feel more secure in our self image and identity.

While a sense of meaning offers security of a kind, security does not provide meaning. Basic security may help us to pursue things that are more meaningful, for it is difficult to focus on broader, deeper and longer-term visions when all our resources and attention are taken up with our immediate survival. However, security itself does not guarantee that we will do meaningful things. In fact, our attachment to it can have a strong tendency to inhibit a potentially more meaningful life. The histories of all major religions are full of pertinent examples, not to mention the biographies of many of our heroes.

Some General Observations on Security

The Reality

Perfect security does not exist. There will always be a need for some faith.
There is always some point where the pursuit of security is the cause of its own demise. We can add reinforcement to a system until its own weight kills it.
Greater security at a more fundamental level will diminish our need for security at a more superficial level.
Security is essential to any building process. It is largely for this reason that we pursue science: We seek the unchanging permanent stable principles and relationships because they help to make our environment more predictable. It is also part of the reason why we make laws, including the law of contract. Stability and predictability increase our sense of security.
All security is a trade-off and a compromise. Increased security against one threat may reduce security against another. The benefits of protection must also be weighed against the benefits of openness.
We seek both permanence and change. We are prepared to give and sell but we don't want what we value to be taken from us without our consent. We can enjoy change on a foundation of permanence, but not the other way.
Trust is earned and rationally given when there is evidence of loyalty and competence in the person we seek to trust. Unearned trust involves the voluntary surrender of security in the hope of gaining something we value more.

The Feeling

Our feeling of insecurity will be influenced by the extent to which things that are important to us are dependent on factors beyond our control.
The combination of dependency, lack of control and a perception of impermanence is particularly conducive to a feeling of insecurity. We feel more powerless in a changing and unstable environment. An increased pace of change adds to the feeling of impermanence.
Perceived disorder or unpredictability in a system upon which we are dependent, will increase our anxiety and feeling of insecurity.
Our feeling of security will be influenced by our belief in the benevolence of the future.
The feeling of security is related to faith, hope and the awareness that we are loved by someone who knows our needs and is able to provide them.
Two people with the same level of perceived real insecurity may have different levels of anxiety associated with it.

Behaviour

Reluctance to undertake adventure may be the reluctance to move to a position of comparatively greater insecurity.
We are willing to pay to be relieved of our feeling of anxiety and insecurity. The insurance industry thrives on our craving for security.
We may be 'settlers' in some respects so that we can be 'pioneers' in other respects - reckless in some areas and risk shy in others.
The pursuit of security is based on fear. The problem is that the devices we use to protect ourselves and what we value can severely inhibit greater happiness. They can curtail our development and experiences. In our anxiety to avoid becoming worse off we also stop ourselves from becoming better off. Protection is necessary, but it is fruitful only when used with discernment.

Security and Religion

Human nature is such that the quest for security and 'peace of mind' always extends beyond the immediate present to the limit of our hopes. Whether the possibility of eternal life is accepted with conviction or dismissed as wishful thinking, the interest in the prospect can rarely be denied. For these reasons, the various religious perspectives are perhaps the ultimate responses to the human quest for security. Most religions offer advice on the subject at various levels from the material to the spiritual, and much of it may be of practical value regardless of ones individual belief system.