Be Aware, But Don’t Be Worried

I woke up last Thursday to the horror of the terrorist attack in Garissa, Kenya. My first thought was about the poor students and their families. My heart and sympathy goes out to them. This should not be happening to the people of Kenya who are so warm and wonderful.

Alan with Maasai Friends

I also began to think of how to respond to people who were planning on traveling to East Africa but may now be afraid. How do I tell them that while terrible things happen around the world this does not mean you should be afraid to travel?

Instead of relying only on the media let’s look at the facts. Garissa is over 200 miles from Nairobi. If you are on safari in Kenya you are not going near Garissa. If you are going on safari in Tanzania, Rwanda or Uganda or anywhere else you are not even in the same country as the attacks. For example, Tanzania has not experienced the same issues as Kenya has. There has been violence in Mexico. Should people not visit the United States?

We live in a crazy violent world. It makes me sad at times. I can’t understand why people kill people because they are not from the same religion. Even if you stayed at home and never left your yard you still are not 100% safe. And you will miss out on seeing so many wonderful things, and most importantly meeting some amazing people.

We cannot let fear guide us. To do so means the bad guys win. I for one will not let that happen.