Security​—The Elusive Goal!

“ONE of the most serious breaches of embassy security for many years.” That was the description of the electronic spying equipment discovered in America’s Moscow embassy last May. Diplomats can only speculate at the amount of secret information monitored by the dish-shaped receiving device, hidden for an unknown length of time in an old chimney stack.

For the great majority of people, of course, such matters of high state security are not a daily concern. But more immediate matters of personal security most certainly are. How does the search for security affect your life?

Personal Security

Perhaps you have taken out a life-insurance policy to bring a measure of security to your family in the event of your death. You know, too, of those who invest in real estate or other valuable commodities​—precious metals, gem stones, old coins, works of art or even postage stamps—​as security in the face of inflation. Wherever you look, people work hard to gain financial security for themselves and their families in every way possible, but not always with success.

In addition, each day, in practical ways, we relate automatically to security consciousness. Check for a moment your own pattern of life.

How many locks and bolts do you have to attend to before leaving your home? They form just part of an elementary security precaution. Even so, an estimated quarter of a million cases of breaking and entering occur each year in the British Isles alone.

You unlock your car, which itself may be locked in a garage, before you can drive it away. When walking in public you secure your wallet or purse as best you are able, to ward off thieves. Before getting down to a day’s work, do you need to show a ‘security pass’ to enter a factory, or office premises, as many do?

You may prefer to drive your children to school and pick them up, too, because ‘it’s safer that way.’ When back at home, would you venture out alone at night without some means of protection, or would you open your door before checking on who your visitor is?

In Nigeria and other African countries, people in all walks of life openly, and secretly, possess some sort of juju as a means of personal protection. These charms are used as a safeguard from witchcraft or danger and to give success in trade, farming and hunting.

Visitors to Nigeria notice that most hosts open bottles of drink in the presence of their guests, because few Nigerians will willingly drink from a bottle that has already been opened. The reason? Fear of being poisoned through witchcraft! But a person possessing a juju will feel completely safe against such an evil. In fact, with his juju he will feel more secure than if he were surrounded by an armed guard.

These examples (and you can think of many more) are everyday happenings now taken for granted. Yet it is a fact of life that personal security is never so easily secured.

A New ‘Growth Industry’

In recent years security has come to be recognized as a new ‘growth industry.’ From a proliferation of shops stocking security locks, bolts and catches, to the more sophisticated alarms and monitoring systems as employed to check shoplifting, the sale boom is on. And, if you do not wish to purchase one of many specially trained breeds of dog to guard your property, it is now possible to buy a cassette recording of one barking ferociously. The tape recorder, connected to the doorbell, plays immediately when your bell is pressed.

In addition, world wide the number of security firms employing trained (and frequently armed) guards has mushroomed dramatically. This has prompted Parliament to propose special legislation to tighten up on private security in the British Isles, which now employs nearly twice as many men and women as does the police service. It is felt that this new industry has a key role to play in helping to keep down crime and maintain security.

Crime, sometimes organized on an international scale and linked with hijackings and kidnappings, has also alarmed the world of insurance recently in an unusual way.

After the Lindbergh kidnapping in the U.S.A. in the year 1932, insurance coverage for kidnapping and ransom became available for the first time, through Lloyds of London. Recent acts of international terrorism have now pushed the current level of Lloyd’s annual premium from £16,000,000 ($30,000,000, U.S.) four years ago to between £55,000,000 and £110,000,000 ($100,000,000 and $200,000,000, U.S.). This means that the London insurance market today cannot be carrying less than £5,500,000,000 ($10,000,000,000, U.S.) in direct kidnap and ransom risks alone. A heavy price indeed for those seeking “security.”

“Untroubled by danger or apprehension,” is The Concise Oxford Dictionary definition of “secure.” So in today’s world of increasing crime, do you honestly consider your outlook to be so favourably described as “secure”? Or do you experience a growing feeling of insecurity despite all that you can do? Read on as you consider the question:

Why Is This an ‘Insecure Generation’?

“THERE’S an undercurrent of fear, so people want to believe in some kind of controlling force which they hope will look after them.”

Reporting these words of an Oxford university student, London’s The Sunday Telegraph last April revealed an unexpected increase in religious participation among undergraduates. This trend, so out of keeping with extreme political involvement of previous years, reflects what the newspaper calls “the uncertainties of an insecure generation.”

In an age of unparalleled prosperity such a situation is something of a paradox. It is something like a house built of cards, bright and showy, yet delicately stacked and doomed to fall. People sense this instability. What makes this present generation feel so “insecure”? Is it possible to determine the source of this ‘undercurrent of fear’​—and to overcome it?

Value of Education

Ever since the end of the second world war, educational facilities have been greatly extended in most advanced countries. Yet it cannot be said that in itself education holds out security. As a means to an end, to what will it lead? That is the important question. Alas! For so many today the end of the educational road is a dead end, with no jobs and only bleak prospects​—in a word, insecurity.

Currently in the British Isles there are one and a half million unemployed and the figure seems set to rise. Already there are more young people out of work than at any time since the war. One young lad of 16, overcome by depression at being unable to secure employment despite a great deal of effort, hanged himself. A member of his local Educational Committee commented: “This was an extreme case, but it illustrates the anguish many youngsters go through.” To go straight from school into the ranks of the unemployed is the real fear of many young people, a fear directly linked with the feeling of insecurity.

Hong Kong also has a progressive society in which conditions put extreme pressure on young people. For the majority, education with a view to getting a high-paying job is what is looked to for security. Inevitably failure spells disaster. This leads not just to frustration but likewise to depression and tragedy.

A group calling itself the Hong Kong Samaritans is reported as having monitored 1,225 telephone calls from depressed students in a six-day period in August, 1977. The Hong Kong Standard of August 13, 1977, summed up the situation as follows: “Our education system, as well as the dollar-chasing materialistic attitude of our society which blinds us from seeing basic human values in their right merit, play a major part in driving the young people to suicide.” Yet, with an increasing number of students and a decreasing number of job opportunities, the pressure to get to the top of the tree can hardly diminish.

Modern Technology

What, though, of modern technology? Will this not open up new fields of endeavour and employment? Many have fondly thought so in past decades, but no longer. In fact, authorities are now sounding the warning of a dramatic increase in unemployment in the immediate years ahead. One group of Cambridge, England, economists recently went so far as to predict a figure of some five million unemployed in the British Isles, likely within the space of 10 years. Why this gloomy forecast?

Rapid developments in microelectronics have accelerated automation to a previously unsuspected degree. Heralded originally as the means of breaking the routine of repetitious work, it is now realized that computer technology can also effectively replace intellectual work. A skilled draughtsman, by way of example, may take 25 times as long on a project as a computer, programmed to design. With efficiency and profits in mind, it is not hard to guess what happens to the human element.

Various solutions have been put forward​—early retirement, shorter working weeks, more and longer holidays each year, as well as the inevitable raising of the school-leaving age. Yet all, or any one, of these cannot solve the problem, and the basic insecurity of employment remains.

In normal circumstances it is fair to say, as the Bible does, that “if anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat,” but what of a man who is eager to work and who is denied the opportunity? (2 Thess. 3:10) Sadly, today many fall into that category, and in countries where no social-aid system exists they are simply forced to eke out an existence in a state of perpetual insecurity.

Delinquency

“Work banishes those three great evils, boredom, vice and poverty.” So philosophized the 18th-century French writer Voltaire. If capable, trained men and women are unable to turn their hands to an honest day’s work, it is hardly to be wondered at when today many turn instead to a life of crime. Frustration has its outlet, as is seen in the British Isles where about 38 percent of all crimes are committed by unemployed people.

Even more alarming has been the related upsurge of violent terrorism throughout the world. Trouble in Italy has been fanned by an insecure and alienated younger generation (20 percent of Italy’s college graduates qualify for positions that simply do not exist) and mirrors the unhappy state of affairs in many European countries. Yet, seeking to change the “system” by force and intimidation can only breed its own insecurity.

Many authorities turn to larger and stronger police forces and stricter legislation to stem the tide of crime. Certainly such restraining steps may go a good way in containing criminal activity, but inevitably the people of decent society pay heavily for their security. Not only is the burden of the law to be borne in taxation, but also restrictions curtail the freedom of all society to some degree. There can be no substitute for honesty and integrity to restore the desired security.

International Tension

Will international problems get out of control? This fear affects those of the younger generation too as they seek to plan their lives. They know that their own fathers and grandfathers have lived through the insecurity created by war. Yet they see world leaders still unwilling to agree among themselves, and international deception and intrigue continue to put peace in peril.

The arms race goes on unabated and students are well aware that a quarter of all scientists spend their time on offensive weapons development. Perhaps less known is the fact that each year the average worker forfeits the equivalent of two weeks of his wages to pay for the arms race. The present generation may say that they wish to ‘Make Love​—Not War,’ but they realize that they are not the masters of their own destiny in the important matter of world international security.

Problems of Retirement

For those at the other end of man’s short life-span there is no letup on the feeling of insecurity. How many senior citizens worry as they see their life savings eroded away by continuous inflation? Thrift and saving seem no longer to be virtues meriting praise. As one advertiser succinctly put it in encouraging readers to go into debt and negotiate a loan: “The way prices are rising these days, it doesn’t pay to save for things you want.”

This philosophy of life may well suit the younger generation, but what of those whose retirement income is limited and who tend to rely on their savings? Even in countries where State aid is more readily available, despair among the elderly can still take its toll. In the United States one suicide in four involves a person over 65 years of age.

Living in this generation with all its problems and uncertainties, is there any stability? What can be secure? We invite you to consider the evidence as you ask yourself the question:

Who Can Be Secure Today?

FOOD, clothing and shelter are basic necessities of life. Without them our very grip on life cannot be secure.

If someone offered to give you all these essentials in ample measure, you would surely ask: “On what conditions?” Such a promise at too high a price would hardly be a gift at all. Yet on acceptable terms, what a blessing it would be!

A Valid Assessment

In his famed Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ was realistic in assessing the material requirements of life. His emphasis, however, was to the end that we should ‘never be anxious’ about securing them. Why? There are good reasons. Maybe you would like to check them for yourself in your Bible at Matthew 6:31-33, or in the parallel account at Luke 12:29-31.

We may note that Jesus there acknowledged that the great majority would never heed his advice. Instead, they would be in ‘anxious suspense,’ pursuing the gaining of material belongings. To such ones these assets then become an end in themselves. Yet, as we have seen, what security do they really afford?

In the same context, Jesus spoke of accumulated treasures “where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matt. 6:19, 20) With all the excelling wealth available today, those who have it are enjoying no greater sense of security than people have possessed in the past. More importantly, to follow their example would be to ignore riches of a superior kind. Jesus warned of such a short-term view of life, saying: “A man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.”​—Luke 12:15, The Jerusalem Bible.

Where, then, is real security to be found? Not just in acknowledging that our heavenly Father is fully aware of our needs, but in acknowledging that he has obligated himself to us to supply them all. On what terms? Simply that we ‘seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.’ (Matt. 6:33) Consider the following true-life experiences and assess how this can work out in practice.

A Choice of Priorities

World wide there are over two and a quarter million Christian witnesses of Jehovah who are seeking first God’s kingdom. Among these there are around 75,000 who volunteer to spend, on the average, 1,000 hours each year in preaching and teaching the “good news of the kingdom.” (Matt. 24:14) These men and women are called “pioneers,” as their assignments of territory can often find them in unusual and even remote areas.

If we were to equate their total number of hours (approximately 75 million) with money values, taking an hourly rate of £1.10 ($2.00, U.S.), then annually their time is worth £82,500,000 ($150,000,000, U.S.). Yet all this time is given freely and often by people who have vacated well-paid jobs, even professions, for the privilege.

One reporter on religion, having assessed the work of these pioneers, came to the conclusion: “Generally their lives are happily frugal . . . their (Jehovah’s Witnesses’) behaviour is governed by absolute faith and a deep sense of duty to which no financial strings, no material rewards are attached.”

Take the case of a well-respected doctor of gynaecology. By the standards of this world he ‘had it made,’ holding a good position in a large hospital in Japan. On studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses, the doctor and his wife both dedicated their lives to serve their Creator, symbolizing this by water baptism.

After a short while, they decided that they would like to move to another town where only a few of Jehovah’s Witnesses lived, to share their faith with that community. To do so the doctor had to quit his secure hospital post and seek part-time employment, as both he and his wife wished to become pioneers. They now live in a modest rented house. The husband works two days a week in a local health clinic to support them both and also his mother who lives with them.

Colleagues with whom the doctor has worked say they cannot understand his thinking, and much less do they desire to make it their own. Yet this couple have the security of a peace of mind and contentment in aiding the local congregation with which they associate, as well as in conducting numerous Bible discussions in their new neighbourhood.

Securing Spiritual Privileges

London, England, is the world centre for many specialized fields of commerce. Twenty-five years ago, a young man working with a well-known international company started, along with his wife, to look into the Holy Scriptures. After a thorough check with all religious leaders in their hometown to determine the truthfulness of Bible doctrine, dedication and baptism of them as Jehovah’s Witnesses soon followed.

The person who had helped this couple was herself a pioneer and the fine example she set left a lasting impression on them both. In the local congregation they worked hard. During the ensuing years, this husband-and-wife team were privileged to help up to 100 men and women to a knowledge of the Bible. Fourteen of these were in the company where the husband was employed at that time as manager, caring for thousands of employees world wide.

Ten years ago, an offer of a directorship at four times his salary was made to the husband, with a promise of an early opportunity to become chairman of the board of directors. At that very time, however, the way had opened up for the couple to enter the pioneer work. For this privilege they were quite prepared to forgo the security of his employment and its prospects. As things turned out the company eventually made an offer of part-time work at half salary​—and a directorship was given as a reward for faithful service!

Three years later, following company reorganization, the Witness was faced with the ultimatum of resuming full-time work or leaving. He left. Later he was appointed to serve as a traveling overseer of Jehovah’s Witnesses, visiting congregations along with his wife, a privilege that they still retain and greatly enjoy.

Asked how he now felt at having given up such a promising commercial career, he replied quoting Paul’s words: “I do indeed also consider all things to be loss on account of the excelling value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3:8) He added: “To exchange material riches for spiritual ones has been completely rewarding and has given us both a sense of security for the future we have never had before.”

But, are these sacrifices made solely for future security? How real is this “security” in down-to-earth values today? Let us consider some of the advantages readily available now.

Secure in Christian Association

“A WORD OF CAUTION:​—Beware of pickpockets.” This advice was given to the many thousands of delegates attending the “Victorious Faith” International Conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses this year. You may wonder why such practical counsel was necessary. Well, the fact is that the moral integrity enjoyed by true Christians puts them at a distinct disadvantage. Thieves are known to capitalize on the disarming trust so clearly in evidence among Jehovah’s Witnesses; so the warning was timely. But what a joy it is for honest folk to feel secure among people they can trust!

“On earth the nations will not know where to turn, . . . while men will be fainting from fear, and for the thought of what is going to happen to the world.” Jesus contrasted this negative outlook of the majority of people, at the time of the passing of our old world order, with that of his true followers: “Lift up your heads, for your deliverance is near.”​—Luke 21:25-28, The New Testament, A New Translation, by William Barclay.

Nobody would attempt to belittle the apprehension, mistrust and fear so evident today, fulfilling Jesus’ words. Only faith, based on a true understanding of the Scriptural prophecies, can give the security of peace of mind.

Despite today’s pressing problems, Christians can look to the future with complete confidence. The future is secure, just as God’s purpose concerning it is immutable. Under His Kingdom government, for which Jesus told his followers to pray, life will forever be a delight of endless Christian association.

With a world government ruling in the best and lasting interests of all earth’s inhabitants, a man’s labours will not be directed to the detriment of his fellowman. Human inventiveness will be positive and constructive as the blessings of work bring delight and the earth yields its bounty. Animals and other forms of earthly life will be in full accord. Pollution of earth, sea and atmosphere on account of human selfishness will be unheard of. Safeguarding health will no longer present problems. Human death, sickness and crippling disease will be things of the forgotten past.​—Compare Isaiah 65:17-25.

To learn of our Creator’s love and purpose is to ‘reside in security, undisturbed from dread of calamity’ for all time. (Prov. 1:33) Lasting security is not elusive. It is a reality. It can be yours for the asking. Why not share its benefits now in association with Jehovah’s Witnesses world wide?