For longer than I wish to remember, I have been in retirement from my work with computer networks and the Internet. I had the privilege and good fortune to work in 15 countries during those times.

After I left this profession for a less hectic life, I have taken trips to Europe and Asia to places I had not visited or had visited only for my job. The past few weeks, I have been thinking about some of these places in relation to the disturbances in Charlottesville, Va.

During these travels, I witnessed uprisings that reminded me of the one that occurred recently in Charlottesville. These uprisings were in present-day Slovenia, and Belfast, Northern Ireland.

As a close observer (not protester), I was in the middle of the Vietnam anti-war protests that took place in Washington, D.C., in the 1970s. I walked the streets while dealing with tear gas and anti-riot militia. The area resembled a war zone. I walked through the National Mall tent city and visited with the protesters. The place was akin to an urban slum.

I thought about how relatively subdued the goings-on were in Charlottesville in comparison to other unrests I had come across. I also thought about deadly rebellions occurring throughout history that I had not witnessed; uprisings too numerous to list.

While reading about statue supporters and opponents assaulting each other and statues, I thought of the Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic, a city where I spent a few days a couple years ago. The bridge displays 30 statues, some of which are not liked by a number of Prague citizens. Yet these statues remain undisturbed.

Construction on the bridge began in 1357. Just imagine. In the year 1357, the Earth was considered by many people to be flat. Columbus did not sail to “discover America” until the late 1400s. For centuries, the statues have remained intact. The tour guide said they were accepted by the citizenry as part of Prague’s history and were respected as such.

Many of my fellow humans do not share this view. Many fail to give credit to those who built the foundations on which we thrive. Not only the foundations of bridges and statues, but the foundations for the rule of law.

I watched a newscast explaining that some American citizens favor destroying monuments to Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and other notable people.

Columbus: because he was brutal to Native Americans. Jefferson and Washington: because they owned slaves. I wondered what these people would propose for those 30 statues on the Charles Bridge?

The propositions to tear down other statues have been fueled by the publicity surrounding injuries and a death in relation to a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville. Some wish it to remain and some wish its removal. They are going after one another’s throats to make their case.

If such violence continues to escalate in Charlottesville and other locales, it will lead to an imposition of police/national guard measures, similar to what happened in Washington, D.C., during the Vietnam anti-war protests and in Northern Ireland.

In irony, these actions will curtail the freedom of both sides to state their cases. Martial Law is a drastic reaction to severe actions we humans may take toward one another. But make no mistake, it can happen if events such as those in Charlottesville escalate to endanger the safety of people and property.

In the second part to this column, I will cite an example of how local protests can get out of control: the one I witnessed in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

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To fund his way through college, Uyless Black worked in Watts, Calif., as a bill collector shortly before the riots there. His efforts resulted in the collection of one solitary debt and a few car repossessions. Shortly before he was likely fired, he resigned from the job. Nonetheless, he came to know the urban underpinnings for riots, which devastated the meager income of Watts citizens. He now resides in the safe haven of Hayden with his wife, Holly, and his 5-pound watchdog, Milli. Interlopers, beware.