One of my favorite Far Side cartoons is a group of deer talking in the forest, perhaps one of those Appalachian forests I know so well, and saying to one of them with a target on his chest, “Bummer of a birthmark, Hal.” Of course, it is a nearly fatal thing for a deer in the Appalachian mountains to have a target as a birthmark, as it gives the hunters of the area (and there are many!) a perfect place to fire at. And sadly, it would seem as if many people feel as if they are targeted by others, if they have a birthmark that draws the attention of their governments (or the governments of others).

I have commented at some length about the problems of paranoia and how it relates to political worldview. Nonetheless, there are things that make people feel targeted. For example, people who come from very wealthy families often feel targeted by terrorist groups looking for ransom. People who sail through the Gulf of Aden or the western Indian Ocean would feel targeted by Somali pirates high on khat. These people feel targeted because they are in dangerous situations. If they are wise they will not feel afraid, but they will recognize the danger and take whatever steps are necessary. If the dangers are too great, they will try to avoid some situations. Otherwise, they will try to use what resources they possess in order to counteract or minimize dangers. And that is the right way to deal with danger–to keep a clear head and to avoid being overcome by fear.

So let us establish at the outset that feeling as if one is being targeted is not necessarily a sign of irrationality. One simply has to understand which habits and traits and qualities are like to make one a target. For example, if you have money or would provide access to money through ransom, then you will attract those who are thieves or money-hungry. Famous athletes are targeted individuals in this case, as are rappers, as they are not skilled with money and attract gold-diggers and a large and expensive posse that serves no useful purpose except to siphon away money. Money is not the only factor that makes someone a target individual, though. There are people who feel targeted simply because they speak their mind and show a great deal of hostility for their own government or other governments where they might happen to reside. And people who speak out against corrupt institutions have a legitimate reason to feel targeted by governments, given the fact that most governments these days seem to be ruled by insecure people. People have a reason to feel targeted.

And there are other profound reasons to feel targeted. Any time there are serious worldview differences or loyalties, there is likely to be a targeting effect. Good will target evil and evil will target good. We have to accept that life is going to be full of danger based on our commitments. But this is not a bad thing. If we are truly on the side of righteousness, we will draw the attention of those who are our enemies. But this is not a problem, as we can simply be bait to draw out the hostility of others and force others to reveal their folly and evil. And knowledge of which people are our enemies is useful knowledge, whether they repent or whether we are able to confound them and drive them into irrational fury while we retain control of our God-given rationality. Feeling targeted by others need not be a bad thing at all, so long as we realize that we are not alone. So long as we feel alone, we are prey to our fears and unable to act responsibly. Let us therefore live life soberly, and use whatever targets we have to our advantage to draw evil out of the darkness and force it to expose themselves.