An offer they couldn't refuse

It is amazing how the one thing that can overcome fear is boredom.  Humans can, quite literally, become bored of being frightened, and that encourages them to take risks.  I heard a marvellous story this morning on Woman's Hour about a group of young people in Palermo, Italy, who have taken on... wait for it... the Mafia.  For their whole lives they had been frightened of the Mafia and lived in communities where the tradespeople had dutifully paid their kickback to the Mob.  And then these young people decided that the way to break the Mafia's stranglehold was effectively economic sanction.  The young people encouraged other people not to patronise shops that paid protection money.  It's worked.  One of the reasons it's worked is because the young people saw that it wasn't  ALL the shopkeepers that paid up.  Some of them refused and as the interviewee wryly put it "they didn't all need armed guards for the rest of their lives."  One of the most dangerous lessons to learn as a young person is fear.  Be brave, and you'll help young people liberate their courage.  (Although I have to say I hope it's never me vs the Mob and I have to put these brave words into practise...)