We are still alive...
2001-09-13 by Zeek Duff
The Anti Anarchist's Cookbook, Chapter One:
How do you cook a terrorist? At a low simmer. I say this because in
realizing what it takes to create one, it becomes clear that this is a
tough cut, hardened over time. What we in "the free world" all feel now
is frustration, with no one to hold directly responsible for the
individual actions of what's yet obviously a large number of people;
loosely, but well organized. So, what exactly is responsible for this
maddening conundrum? I'll try to address a couple of thoughts I've had
in light of recent events.
For one thing, if there's a single problem, it's intolerance. Not just
the intolerance of a sick dogma, but a general sense of one belief
system being believed not only better than another, not only superior to
another, but the ONLY way one should believe. In that sense, most
religious dogma on this planet has become rabidly morbid, proselytizing
turning into active hatred. This is evident not only from the recent
acts of radical Arabs, but so-called "God fearing Christians" in Ireland
who taunt small children on their way to school, because they were
raised to believe in a different Christ than them..? Those kids are
getting quite an education on the way to their classes. There are many
such examples of human stupidity. Even a non religious belief system is
often perceived as superior by those who hold it; inevitably, actively
scorning those with differing views.
So, how can this happen? Those sucked into this quandary aren't all
stupid people, and most have good intentions. Yet, when those
intentions are turned aside, ignored or deflected, all too often the
desire to do good or simply just the right thing, transforms itself into
anger and hence, hatred of those refusing to even acknowledge one's
otherwise idealistic motives.
Every single person on this planet needs to take a good look at this
phenomena and determine where they fit in, determine what they can do to
improve their own stance and become a whole lot less confrontational
overall, yet confronting ignorance in a zealous effort to stamp it out.
The education to do this has been there for eons, from artistic and
philosophical works as old as recorded time and continuing to the
present day. Philosophers and artists constantly point out the need to
"look at the man in the mirror" for worldly responsibility, yet so few
seem to actually DO it.
Terrorism has been called "acts of cowardice," but how can someone
willing to die for what they believe be called a coward? Isn't that the
standard we've set for heroism? Isn't heroism the willingness to
sacrifice one's own life to hopefully benefit the life of those we care
about who come after us? I don't think it's an act of cowardice OR
heroism, it's desperation.
When viewed in this manner, the causes become readily apparent. Without
influence, those seeking broad change become desperate, and all too
quickly. We should recognize this in our own desperation to find those
responsible for generating terrorist acts and somehow punish them. We
seem to forget or put aside the fact that they have already died in
their version of "the war." Our leaders would like to believe and have
US believe there is a single entity who may be held accountable. Sadly,
that isn't the case. Oh, we'll track associations and find connections
to someone who has vowed to destroy our way of life and kill them, but
it will be like breaking off the head of a dandelion, with little
overall effect, and absolutely NO long term effect other than to deepen
the roots. More frustration for all.
I see this as the same root system that cause street gangs; not just in
this country, but in every country. This is what made Somalia an
impossible place to promote freedom. This is what drives morons like
Slobodan Milosevic, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin Dada, et al to commit what
we, from a safe distance, can only deem "crimes against humanity." We
should examine this very carefully before we proceed to make things
worse.
I thought about taking this frustration to those who generate this
belief in carnage as their only hope directly to them, and place the
very fires of hell on their doorway. I thought about annihilating
several entire nations that have known connections to terrorist
activities and who, if they don't actually promote terrorism, do nothing
to stop it, and allow those involved in it, safe haven. As some are
fond of saying, "Nuke 'em back to the Stone Age." But, would that stop
anything? No, it would, once again, merely deepen the roots.
So is this Star Trek's Kobayashi Maru, the "no win situation" test of
humanity? In fiction, the test is one in which the cadet is placed in a
"no win situation" and is expected to make the tough command decisions
that will inevitably cost the life or lives of someone under their
command. Of course, Captain Kirk cheated the test by changing the
parameters, his not believing any situation completely untenable.
That's fiction, but in reality, is there such a thing? If there is,
we're facing it.
We're facing years of dogmatic training that's been instilled in people
as children, as soon as they're able to absorb it. The people you saw
celebrating death are those people. They are, frighteningly, incredibly
numerous. They believe we are "the Great Satin," the devil
personified. We know better, but how do we convince them?
I said initially it's going to take a slow simmer to cook this out, and
that means a LONG time. Now that the crux of the matter has been
dropped on our own American doorstep, changing forever the skyline that
is the very icon of freedom and opportunity for all, we must face a
challenge we've only vaguely empathized with when viewed on television,
happening somewhere else in the world. Now, our worst nightmare has
been visited upon us in cold, hard, reality. I grew up fearing a
nuclear attack from the skies, and was taught to "duck and cover," but
what we learned was to stick our heads in the sand, not realizing
someone was going to come along and blow off the major part that's
sticking up in the air.
I don't have a simple solution, I don't even have a complex one. What I
do know is we need to think about this, long and hard. We need the best
minds to try to formulate a way to change human nature, to rebuild the
core of a misguided thought process that has become a morbid virus that
threatens to infect the entire planet more devastatingly than anything
anyone ever imagined in their worst nightmare. At the same time, we
must continue. We must improve ourselves and learn to tolerate that
which does not harm us, but foremost, we must continue to be who we are
and what we stand for as human beings.
If you pray, pray for wisdom. If you do not, work on becoming wise.
Regards,
...z
"There is nothing more horrifying than stupidity in action."
Adlai E. Stevenson
-- =---Seek the truth, speak the truth!---= --
L.G. "Zeek" Duff
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