I did security training, aka the Foreign Affairs Counter Threat course.
I thought it would be fun.
It was too intense to be fun.
Interesting, cool, useful, eye opening, impressive, tiring. Type 2 fun, maybe.
I am sincerely grateful for the experts who teach the course. And I’m glad Jen’s going to take it.
“A little learning is a dangerous thing;
drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
and drinking largely sobers us again.”
-Alexander Pope, an old guy who wrote stuff about things one time.
SRLSY. Throughout security training, I kept thinking about the proverb about a little knowledge being dangerous, because if we all leave there thinking we’re experts in whatever… then we’re worse off.
So I’m under no illusions that I’m a security ninja. But I appreciate even more now the incredible work of the Diplomatic Security Service.
For those who want a taste of the fountain of knowledge that is security training, a couple of news shows did dramatic segments on it, and I’ll let them have the final word:
