Rational, sober, logical citizens wonder what exactly the terrorists want. What purpose does it serve to fly planes into buildings, kill and maim police recruits by the hundreds, or blow up innocent commuters on mass transit? Such a question carries the assumption that there is a goal hidden beneath the madness.
Historically, terrorism has often been used to bring about a desired conclusion. The Irgun in Palestine pursued terrorist acts to achieve the state of Israel. The activists of the IRA sought a free Ireland without British garrisons or influence. The Russian Bolsheviks fought for food, money, and some semblance of personal power. In isolated pockets all over the globe, terrorist acts are being committed right now to give birth to political change, define a new national state, relieve the oppression of tyranny, or to economically and spiritually transform a society.
The current terrorists, the loosely organized confederation of Al Qaeda and its multiple offshoots, seem to have a different agenda. Their guiding philosophy appears to be anarchy: the absence of any structure or order at all. If they are merely anti-western, why blow up so many of their own people? If they want a fundamental Islamic society, why boycott the voting booth? If they want the United States out of Iraq, why attack the very security forces which are the only forces that can trigger an early withdrawal?
When we wonder what side they are one, we are led to the inevitable conclusion that they don't have a side. They are fanatics without a cause, soldiers without a country, commandos without a mission. They have no underlying goals except disruption. They are ideological nihilists: nothing is worthwhile, nothing has any value, nothing counts.
Spawned out of a deep hatred fostered by utter powerlessness, lack of direction, and a total loss of belief in themselves or anyone else, they live only to act out their hatred in actions designed to convince themselves that they somehow count for something. With no goals but widespread destruction, how can they win? They can wound the world to assuage their own pain but it can't get them anywhere because they have nowhere to go.
At the end of a war, soldiers return home with more, or less, successful adjustment to real life. The terrorists can never go home again. Their battle will never be over because fighting is all they have.
We use the phrase "The war on terror." To call it a war suggests that there are opposing views in conflict and that one view will eventually prevail. Since the terrorists have no view, they can never win unless the entire world is destroyed. Failing their ability to get their hands on immense stocks of nuclear or biological weapons, that is unlikely.
So what is the world to do? Stand idly by while the laughter of innocents continues and disrupted economies lead to mass desperation?
No, we continue to use soldiers, weapons, and military tactics to thwart their efforts and wipe out their toxic existence.
And we get back on the buses and subways, just as the great folks of London and Madrid are, and reclaim lives and lifestyles that do have meaning, that stand for something, that represent a goal and a future. The soldiers can continue their mop-up sweeps but it is the commuter who returns to work, the police recruit who continues to train, the farmer who continues to plant, the production worker who continues to assemble, and the doctor who continues to heal, who are the real victors.
Standing for something, anything, will, by default, always triumph over the empty darkness that the black flag of anarchy represents.
Virginia Bola is a licensed clinical psychologist with deep interests in Social Psychology and politics. She has performed therapeutic services for more than 20 years and has studied the effects of cultural forces and employment on the individual. The author of an interactive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can be reached at http://drvirginiabola.blogspot.com
move in cleaning service Mundelein .."Like humans void of soul or mind, they jeered and... Read More
Do you ever wonder how everything gets to the super... Read More
The shouting is over and directions for the next four... Read More
The European Court of Justice ("ECJ") ruled in Praktiker Bau-... Read More
Washington DC council member David Catania actually suggested that the... Read More
Clint Eastwood recently plunged into the murky political pond with... Read More
In an age of terrorism, guerilla and total warfare the... Read More
Why did the California energy crisis happen? Who is to... Read More
As you can see from some of our previous articles,... Read More
It is time for a change. A change in philosophy,... Read More
Fuel costs seem to rank high in surveys of US... Read More
It never fails to amaze me. HM Customs and Excise... Read More
Currently the US Army is having trouble recruiting. These problems... Read More
I'VE ALWAYS ARGUED THAT ECONOMIC ILLITERACY IS VERY COSTLY.This is... Read More
J. Edgar Hoover and LBJ used to enjoy watching Hoover's... Read More
Well the title is absolute Bull Crap, but this article... Read More
Have you noticed that the when the service men who... Read More
We have seen an increase in Snowbirds from Northern States... Read More
What has really changed in the housing market with regards... Read More
Is Starbucks a monopoly? It fits all the definitions. Does... Read More
We can all see the issues involved in the cloning... Read More
In every national budget, there is a part called "Public... Read More
In order to win the presidency in America, candidates must... Read More
If a farmer plants the same crop three seasons in... Read More
Many times our government regulatory over embellish problems in the... Read More
insured cleaning company Highland Park ..Washington DC council member David Catania actually suggested that the... Read More
The devastating loss in case of Elliot Spitzer for NY... Read More
Large parts of the world today suffer from a severe... Read More
I watch the TV news and I get angry. I... Read More
An interesting conversation that I thought I must share with... Read More
After the dance the piper must be paid. To help... Read More
Tulipmania - this is the name coined for the first... Read More
The Carl Rove issue is definitely interesting and distracting. The... Read More
North Korea and diplomatic games; something has to give and... Read More
Will a bus running across the borders bring cordial relations... Read More
Down The Bush and BlairBy now everyone, except us, is... Read More
Peace in the Middle East - whoa that is a... Read More
How do you feel about Terminator Seeds from Monsanto? I... Read More
Legislation is getting legs to further curtail your use of... Read More
The People's Liberation Army of China invaded Tibet in 1949.... Read More
The idea that the majority shows the will of the... Read More
There are many issues on the minds of US voters... Read More
The recent Jakarta summit of Asia and Africa brought remembrance... Read More
There is a connection between economic growth and unemployment. There... Read More
There are many mines around the world, which are owned... Read More
Sodomy is against the law, yet goes on every day... Read More
Conventional warfare is getting to its limits. Soon wars will... Read More
Recently the CIA staged a practice simulation of a cyber... Read More
If a farmer plants the same crop three seasons in... Read More
The most damaging factor to our economy today is the... Read More
Political |