The world isn't worse...

"The world isn't worse. It's just that the news coverage is so much better."

I was tramming into work last week, reading my book, heading up Swanston Street towards Melbourne Uni. As we stopped at Melbourne Central, a woman walked up to the driver and said something that I couldn't make out. The driver stood up and looked towards the back of the tram, a concerned look on his face. He opened his... what is it? Cockpit? Driver's booth? He opened the door to his operating compartment and walked briskly to the back of the tram. I rubbernecked down the aisle and saw him pull a Puma sports bag out from under the seat. He unzipped it.

He smiled, stood up and carried it back to his booth.

It took me a a few seconds to realise what I'd actually thought as he unzipped the bag. I'd thought, "This is it". It was all over in a flash, but thinking back I'd actually felt my pulse quicken and my chest tighten. I'm sure if you slowed my mind down to frames you'd see images of all those Israeli buses, Baghdad markets, etc, flicker past, but all I got was a beat and then this faint feeling that a second ago everything could have changed.

I've always felt like Australia is an unlikely terrorist target. Mainland Australia, I mean. And then, somewhat coldly, that if it ever was it'd be Sydney before Melbourne. Not really something I need to worry about. Worry about in the sense that I don't need to think about my tram suddenly exploding. Now I'm not so sure. With everything going on at the moment, everything you hear on news, things seem to be escalating. Getting worse. The unbelievable seems to be happening more and more.

I'm not going to change my way of life or my way of thinking in response. I'm not going to avoid the city, or large public events, or expect every second tram to explode, but I'm no longer as sure of my little impervious bubble called Melbourne any more.