Stop and Think!

Clifford Stoll’s autobiographical account describes tracking down a hacker in one of the first cyber-attacks in history. From reading Stoll’s book one asks how nobody foresaw danger in the gaping security holes in the government systems that existed in the early years of computers. The hacker was able to gain access to various top secret US military and government systems by simply guessing common passwords and sometimes even logging in as “guest” with no password requirement.  It seems to me that mankind rarely takes preventative measure unless we, or someone we know personally, experiences the danger first hand. Perhaps that is why those that are most zealous about not using a phone while driving are those with friends or family who have been harmed in a cellphone related auto accident, and maybe that’s why lots of us don’t start preparing for disaster until hurricane Katrina hits. 

                How can we overcome this danger-prevention-lethargy that is in our human nature?   My answer to this question is to merely think! Far too often we simply accept things at face value without stopping to ponder their deeper implications. George Bernard Shaw--a world famous writer and a founder of the London School of Economics—noted, "Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week." Let us all take time to stop, think and ponder our life’s surroundings.