{"id":1889,"date":"2017-07-23T07:59:45","date_gmt":"2017-07-23T14:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/welcometable\/?p=1889"},"modified":"2017-08-03T09:20:16","modified_gmt":"2017-08-03T16:20:16","slug":"the-dangers-of-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/welcometable\/2017\/07\/the-dangers-of-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I have a threatening email in my in-box.\u00a0 It is titled, \u201cParis is waiting for you.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s from an airline company.\u00a0 I don\u2019t plan on opening it.\u00a0 The title alone is terrifying\u2013like a mysterious letter sticking out from under a doormat: \u201cYou will die soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have heard from many of my friends since my brother experienced no fewer than three thefts in Paris.\u00a0 They are concerned.\u00a0 The message is this: How do we get to Kinshasa, DR-Congo without going through Paris?\u201d<\/p>\n

This morning, I mentioned the dangers of Paris to a Congolese friend.\u00a0 She said, \u201cOh yes, it is very scary.\u00a0 There are terrorists there.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019m sure we all agree with that assessment.<\/p>\n

As all educated people know, Paris offers some art\u2013if you\u2019re willing to hang out with serial killers.\u00a0 Fortunately, Kinshasa offers splendid art without the risk, as seen in these photos.<\/p>\n

\"kinshasa<\/a> \"kinshasa<\/a> \"kinshasa<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And the beauty and joy found in the Democratic Republic of Congo are unsurpassed.<\/p>\n

\"kinshasa<\/a> \"kinshasa<\/a> \"kinshasa<\/a> \"kinshasa<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the fact remains that one usually must go through Paris to get to Kinshasa.<\/p>\n

If you can go through Brussels, good for you!\u00a0 But if Paris is your only option, take these precautions:
\n1) Stay away from the Eiffel Tower.<\/p>\n

Note this couple.\"eiffel<\/a> They are not in the crowd.\u00a0 Please understand that the crowd is always huge, unmonitored, and dangerous.\u00a0 Cleverly, this couple has positioned themselves with the Eiffel Tower in the background, but they are in fact nowhere near. They could even be in a hotel with the tower seen through a window.\u00a0 Or they could have made a choice which many tourists make these days because of the horrors of Paris.\u00a0 They could be using a green screen.\u00a0 Green screens are now available on apps.\u00a0 See a demo here<\/a>. For all we know, the couple could be green-screening in Parawan, Utah.\u00a0 Clearly, their expressions say, \u201cI wish we could be in Kinshasa!\u201d\u00a0 The man is holding a book about the dangers of Paris.\u00a0 He has marked places which he and his wife must avoid at all costs. and keeps his fingers in those pages at all times. How easy it is for trained thieves to cut pockets, purses, even to kidnap sleeping children!\u00a0 Are you fearful enough?\u00a0 Look at what you\u2019re carrying now.\u00a0 Imagine yourself in the throng by the Eiffel Tower.\u00a0 What are you carrying that someone could steal?\u00a0 Put yourself in the situation until you manufacture genuine sweat.<\/p>\n

2) Avoid all art museums. Most of the statues are broken anyway, but the crowds are full of spies and thieves.\u00a0 They usually stay by the Mona Lisa with carefully concealed knives and tape recorders.\u00a0 Many people have been imprisoned for making comments like \u201cI don\u2019t see why it\u2019s such a big deal\u201d, or by referring to \u201cFreedom fries\u201d rather than \u201cFrench Fries.\u201d Their stories are well concealed, as are they.<\/p>\n

3) Avoid cathedrals. If you must go to a cathedral, keep your eyes forward and downcast.\u00a0 Devotional statues are placed throughout, but these are simply lures for anyone naive enough to look away from their purses or wallets. Pay no attention to Mass or to the stained glass. Your job is to get to Kinshasa safely and in one piece.\u00a0 Even glancing at the bait puts you at risk.<\/p>\n

4) Do not eat the food or drink the water!
\nIf you have seen _Les Miserables_, you know that the sewage system is ubiquitous.\u00a0 What are the chances that some of that sewage has infiltrated the water?\u00a0 Most professionals rank those chances at 68%.\u00a0 Better safe than sorry.\u00a0 You can drink soda pop, provided it has enough sugar to kill any toxic bacteria (including anthrax, which is relatively rare; only 10% of soda pop bottles were found to contain it).\u00a0 You might be tempted by the gelatto, but remember that a taste of ice cream can end your life if the person behind the counter is actually a mercenary paid for every American he shoots.\u00a0 Ask yourself, is it worth it? Imagine that innocent-looking gelatto server reaching for the scoop.\u00a0 Are you sure that\u2019s all he\u2019s reaching for?<\/p>\n

5) By all means, do not take the subway, as anything can happen underground.\u00a0 (Note: Where do they put the sewers? Did you ever contemplate why the sewers and the subways are both underground?) Walk everywhere.\u00a0 Unless you really care about your life, that is.\u00a0 In that case, walk nowhere.\u00a0 Stay in your hotel.\u00a0 Most hotels have CNN. You can watch the news of all the terrible, horrific, unthinkable things happening in Paris.\u00a0 Hotel rooms, especially in areas populated by liberal celebrities (who may or may not be part of nefarious conspiracies) are generally okay.<\/p>\n

It does not matter if you actually see anything in Paris.\u00a0 It matters even less if you actually meet the people.\u00a0 Your goal is to keep your fear high enough that you will get safely on the plane to Kinshasa.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n

Margaret<\/p>\n

P.S.\u00a0 Sometimes I have to explain when my tongue is firmly in my cheek.\u00a0 Yep, it\u2019s there.\u00a0 ANY PLACE can be dangerous.\u00a0 Focusing on the perceived dangers will always keep you from truly experiencing what\u2019s available in every place on earth. Bad things can happen anywhere.\u00a0 I am sad that the DR-Congo is ranked as one of the most dangerous countries.\u00a0 Because of that ranking, I cannot use the travel system at my university but have to employ a neutral agency.\u00a0 That last sentence is NOT tongue-in-cheek. Former ambassador to the DR-C, Roger Meese,\u00a0 told me that the ranking is absurd and must be reversed.\u00a0 Sadly, any time there is violence anywhere in the Congo, it gets broadcast and the perception continues. The perception relies on confirmation bias.\u00a0 Do you think the Congo is full of murderers and kidnappers?\u00a0 Watch this<\/a>, please.<\/p>\n

I know that many will disagree with me.\u00a0 I speak as the daughter of Robert Wallace Blair, however, which qualifies me for just about anything.\u00a0 Dad always considered himself a teacher\/servant.\u00a0 I saw him weep with the people he was working with in various countries.\u00a0 I watched him show his love for the people, and I learned to do as he did.\u00a0 He was fearless, and my brother and I are capable of being just like him, though we are careful to be wise. Dad did some things which we would not do.\u00a0 (For example, he once left all of his children in the center of Guatemala City with the words, \u201cI have a meeting.\u00a0 There\u2019s a museum around here.\u00a0 Find it.\u00a0 Learn Spanish.\u00a0 I\u2019ll meet you back here in about five hours.\u201d That was in 1975.)<\/p>\n

As for me, this is one of the two scriptures which govern my life: \u201cFor God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Come to Kinshasa.\u00a0 Seek the beauty and I guarantee that you will find it.\u00a0 You will need to train your eyes to look beyond the poverty and instead notice the hibiscus, the mango trees, the huge smiles, the dancing.\u00a0 I think there are eye charts on e-bay which help with that training.\u00a0 You don\u2019t pass until you notice the beauty of the child rather than the dirt floor where she is lying.\u00a0 Not sure of the price.\u00a0 Maybe I\u2019m wrong and those charts don\u2019t exist.\u00a0 Maybe I should invent those.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have a threatening email in my in-box.\u00a0 It is titled, \u201cParis is waiting for you.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s from an airline company.\u00a0 I don\u2019t plan on opening it.\u00a0 The title alone is terrifying\u2013like a mysterious letter sticking out from under a doormat: \u201cYou will die soon.\u201d I have heard from many of my friends since my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1301,"featured_media":1899,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56,342,341,46,340],"class_list":["post-1889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-africa","tag-fear","tag-kinshasa","tag-love","tag-paris"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Dangers of Paris<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I have a threatening email in my in-box.\u00a0 It is titled, "Paris is waiting for you."\u00a0 It's from an airline 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