GROUND ZER0, New York, N.Y.--Mar. 28, 2004 -- Yesterday I had the opportunity to witness two generations of Vigilance battling the Beast of Terror.

     Since Terrorism is the sum of one's Fear, Intimidation and Complacency, anything that combats these Triads of Terrorism and shoves them into the shadows has to be an Act of Vigilance:   has to be sunlight spearing into the heart of darkness, has to be Courage percolating in the tar pits of Fear, has to be Conviction wrestling Intimidation back into the briars and brambles from whence it is born, and has to be the fruition of Right Actions that benefit the Children's Children's Children plowing over the weed-choked fields of Complacency that try to embalm the life out of purpose and drive.
        Long story short, I visited two friends in two different events.
        The first were a guy and a gal who happen to work in law enforcement.    They were running a race in Central Park, an annual event that pits the NYPD and the FDNY in a fund raiser.
        They raced directly after the Olympic qualifications for the USA Men's 8K Championships.
        I promised them I would take pictures.

      What I found interesting was the wide range of runners.   Just before the police and firemen ran, the finest runners in the USA tore up the pavement in Central Park.   Following them, were the "finest and bravest" of New York City.   Men and women of all ages, from the silver-haired to the cherub cheeked, sprinted and rushed toward the finish line.
         These Sentinels of Vigilance fight the Beast of Fire and Crime each day.  They put their lives at risk in a variety of ways and are magnified as icons in the public's eye so that if they err or falter as human beings their careers can be crushed by one wrong action.   It isn't an easy tightrope for them to walk, yet they do.

     And, on a rainy, overcast Saturday they took a good chunk of their precious day off and ran for the benefit of fallen comrades.

      This Generation of Sentinels who protect the Children and their Parents from the Beast of Crime and Fire made the hair on my neck stiffen as I shot pictures of their faces rushing toward the finish line.   I thought of how the public sleeps in calm and peace because these men and women patrol the streets at night, warning the Beast of Terror to not penetrate the borders or it will face the harshest of retaliation.
         Following this event, I took my camera to the oldest continuously operating music school in the United States, the Third Street Music School, in the East Village.

      Another friend had asked if I would take pictures of the event.   It was a recital for children from ages five upward playing in a music auditorium to help them overcome any Fear, Intimidation or Complacency they might have about performing.
         Musical recitals are great challenges to the Beast of Terror who loves to make children feel afraid and intimidated.   Teaching a child the elements of Courage, Conviction and Right Actions for future generations requires great patience and tolerance, and supreme dedication to certain disciplines of achievement such as practice and performance.
         I went to capture the essence of these young performers, of all races, creeds, ethnicities who represent the melting pot of New York City lifestyle, but, who also represent the future of the world.
        Music, the most common language globally, is alleged to be able to tame the Beast.    The most famous example is the violin music played to quell Mary Shelly's Frankenstein Beast.

    We often forget that our communication attempts in outer space include musical notes, harmonics, that tend to express feelings through emotional context rather than clumsy words that often become misunderstood.   

      These young children were, in my opinion, The Beast Tamers.    They were learning how to quell the Beast of Terror with their violins and cellos and violas just as surely as the older Generation of Firemen and Police were with guns and hoses.
        I was experiencing Generational Vigilance.
        There was a passing down of duty and responsibility from one generation to another, in different form and substance, but with the same singular goal:  to drive the Beast of Terror far from the playgrounds of the Children.

      And, the children in the music school were taking up their Swords and Shields of Vigilance, putting music out where Terrorism might have once found firm footing, only to find that firmness foiled by the children's desire to protect their world with Beauty rather than the ugliness of the Beast.
        Yes.   I saw Generational Vigilance at work.
        All whom I saw yesterday were Children, Parents, and Loved Ones of Vigilance.   Join them.  Take the Pledge of Vigilance today.
       

Mar 27--Double Trouble Terrorism

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