Feel safe and insulated?

Are you talking about Israel/Lebanon/Hezbollah? Or the killing of the two soldiers in Iraq in retaliation for the rape and murder of the Iraqi girl? I haven't heard anything so am curious.
Of course, if your source is Ann Coulter, let's just not talk about it...

I do feel isolated (insulated would not be my word of choice) from America's "issues", not so for the world in general. But I do have, for better or worse, a laissez-faire attitude (by choice) regarding American politics since our move. Not sure if this is because of physical isolation, lack of voting privileges, my current life stage or what.

Edited to add:
I am not saying apathy is a good thing. I just wanted to add that qualification. I am merely responding to Island Ed's request for responses of our individual realities.

Ok, I figured out you must mean Israel/Lebanon.

Ed -

I'm like Onika - I have almost made a concious choice not to participate in whatever reality is out there (my kids will tell you I made that decision 49 years ago)...I catch up on the news over the internet and only read what interests me, so mostly I just catch the big stuff like the bombings in India, wildfires in California, blah, blah. CNN used to be a regular part of our lives - we never even turn it on now. What little bit I do see seems very surreal to me. Being from the south, I am sure I would have been glued to the t.v. during Katrina last year if I were on the mainland...after being here for a while, everything else just seems so far away. Also, not having home delivery of the newspaper...well, that's just one we've never gotten used to for some reason. The news was in your face every morning in the former life...not so much here.

I DO feel somewhat isolated...we're a tiny speck that no one seems particularly concerned about, although I have to admit that having Hovensa on island is a little distressing in terms of terrorist targets. All in all, I'd say I'm slightly more concerned about island political/social happenings - but I'm still feeling my way in the dark on that one, too.

Perhaps with time I will want to be more world-savvy (don't bet the trust fund on that one); for the time, I'll settle for being removed from it all.

I was thinking of the trouble spots all over the world actually, not just the mid-east, even though that is certainly one of them. North Korea should be included in the mix.

Does being so removed make ones generally feel safe and secure?

The word apathy was used. Is that a common feeling? Again, just curious.

IE -

I straight up admit to apathy. The Israel/Lebanon thing has gone on long before we were here and will keep on - India and Pakistan are never going to be happy with each other, and North Korea is probably a clear and present danger to us all.

I don't know about "safe and secure" - the world is too volatile. Still, no one seems particularly interested in these islands other than as a vacation spot, lending a certain sense of complacency to life in general...although I suppose if it all breaks loose, we could become another military stronghold for the U.S. Personally? I don't feel a part of the U.S. or anything else - just STX. Or maybe I'm the one who thinks we're off anyone's map and I'm completely wrong because I don't read the paper or watch the news on a regular basis!

Unless I was sitting in a Hezbollah camp, yes I feel safe and secure. As stated in this thread, that battle has been going on for over two thousand years so no need to think this current generation will do any better. As for the news pundits labeling it as WWIII, I wouldnt worry they love catastrophizing everything goes along with their if it bleeds it leads mentality.

Apathetic absolutely not. I read the NYT every day online along with England's Daily Telegraph. I watch BBC America News, read both daily VI newspapers, occasionally watch primetime news on mainstream TV.

I don't feel removed from the world, nor do I feel "safe and secure" living here.

People are entitled to be as apathetic as they please if it makes them feel safe, either physically or psychologically. Personally, I've always found people with an opinion based on knowledge infinitely more interesting than those without.

Making a "conscious effort not to participate in whatever reality is out there" is something I can understand because it's all around me every day. But it's not something I could even envisage embracing because that to me would almost be akin to having that one proverbial foot in the grave and I ain't yet ready!

Cheers, Island Ed. One's time on earth is so very limited and the older one gets the more one realizes it. Is it more fulfilling to understand as much as possible about one's fellowmen, what makes them tick and thus how separatist countries, religions and warring factions come about - or to settle into that comfortable niche of general apathy, worrying about tomorrow's grocery list?

It's all relative. It's well known that most humans use only a tiny portion of their brainpower throughout their lives...

To bed perchance to dream and most of mine are quite nutty, if I remember them!