10. If You Stop Traveling, the Terrorists Win
Yes, I am completely aware of how hokey that sounds, but it’s nonetheless true. A terrorist’s goal is to spread (surprise!) terror. If you cave in and avert your plans, then they have, in essence, won. As President Obama said recently, “Their primary power, in addition to killing innocent lives, is to strike fear in our societies, to disrupt our societies so that the effect cascades from an explosion or an attack by semiautomatic rifle … We defeat them in part by saying you are not strong, you are weak.” Obama continued, “We send a message to those who might be inspired by them to say you are not going to change our values of liberty and openness and the respect of all people.” Word.
