What happened last week can also be a comparative analysis of one sector's lack of preparation and the other sector's over planning of things. For purpose of objectivity and sticking to the subject on being ready at all times or to pursue life unplanned, I would not mention anything about nationalities but will refer to the people as either police/government 'authorities' and 'tourists'.
That hostage crisis incident opened our eyes to several things. Foremost of which is the violence one can inflict on another human being. I don't want to go on all the gory details that were already written on countless newspapers, news reports and blogs but simply put, such violence should not have been part of our psyche. It is a sad fact that we have to contend with in our lifetime though.
Which now brings me to my point. I divide those people who were the principal characters of this incident into two categories (THE UNPREPARED & PLANNERS FOR NOTHING). First - the authorities (government and police). They are the people who lacked planning. The way the whole rescue operation was botched right from the get go shows poor execution that is only a result of poor planning or simply no planning at all. Using mallets to break the fiber glass windows of that bus instead of a device or explosive meant for such an occasion only underscores this. There are other blunders committed that sadly would not have been so if only the authorities planned or at least employed some brilliant strategies right during the early hours of the hostage-taking.
And then the second characters - those ill-fated tourists. Now I may say that most of them who died may have been victims of too much planning. It is just tragic that whatever plans they have set out to do can no longer be fulfilled because their lives were taken in a blink of an eye. And that is what I meant about too much planning. That even if we set out preparing for everything, at the end of the day, we never really know what happens next. Some deranged, disgruntled cop may instantly put an end to our lives or a truck driver cutting our dreams short by one reckless and careless turn of the wheel. We never can tell. Which gets me thinking if it really is wise to plan too much on things. Especially when you travel. I prefer to go on the outskirts of the town or country I'm visiting rather than ride on some cramped tourist bus. The idea is to soak in the atmosphere, the culture of the country I'm visiting as fast as I can. I always hate traveling on tours where your time or itinerary is pretty much preplanned for you by others leaving you no time to actually explore the foreign land or get to know the locals on a more personal level. No offense to those who work on the tour industry but I must say, guided tours are mostly boring and restricts the movements of tourists instead of allowing them to actually enjoy the country they are visiting.
Now back to that point of over-planning, yes, some of those who perished in that tragic incident may have lived a life with no regrets. Sure, they get to travel to their chosen destination or perhaps they might have enjoyed their brief stay after all. But what about the plans they made beforehand? Those plans now went for naught because of their short-lived existence. So the case is where one sector should have really thought things over and prepared really well (the authorities), the other should have just enjoyed life while they can. You can only plan and prepare so much.
