Tuesday, Cincinnati, Ohio

Is Osama Bin Laden as dangerous as he was before, or is he now just a noisy, impotent fool? In advance of the anniversary of his psychotic act, Bin Laden released a new video filled with his tired rant about America. But for all his yapping about the evils of our our life and system, he had the audacity to appear with a laughable, newly dyed beard! Huh?

Here he is spewing his bile about how corrupt and venal we are and he sits for his latest television appearance fresh off his treatment with Grecian Formula. So much for religious purity. It’s a reminder that, as is usually the case, his mission may be murderous, but it is fundamentally about vanity. It’s always unwise to underestimate an international terrorist with millions of faithful adherents. But then again, seeing that jet black beard, dripping its dye, makes me wonder if he isn’t trying a little too hard.

Of course these videos give us pause, and make us wonder how vulnerable we are these days. In the aftermath of the attacks in 2001 we were jacked up and vigilant. But as time passes our memories dull and we become complacent. It takes the anniversary to jar us back to awareness that the authorities contend that it’s a matter of when, not if we will be attacked again. And this is the most unnerving part of terrorism. We cope with this tension of not knowing when it will happen by putting it out of our minds.

The better approach for coping with uncertainty is to feel the empathy of those around you. Talking openly about what we cannot control in life is the only coping strategy that actually works. After a trauma - in the “post traumatic stress” period - recovery involves supportive, empathic conversation that helps relieve the repressed memories. And guess what, engaging in supportive, empathic conversation prior to a potential trauma helps us to emotionally cope and survive whatever comes our way. In the age of terror tension, my advice is to start talking.