I don't particularly like to mix politics with cars, and mixing with
personal religious principles is even more "out there" as far as I'm
concerned. But, I can't help myself after this last posting.
I cannot claim to be a pacifist, but I believe non-violence may have some
distinct advantages. Non-violence does not mean non-action. Terrorism is
like a virus. To stand up and beat the host does not kill the virus. It just
bloodies the victim. Beating on someone provides a reason for many onlookers
to label you an aggressor. To kill a virus you have to understand how it
invades an organism and how it propagates.
We Americans are a very innovative nation and could figure out how this virus
infects the world and how to stop it from spreading and communicating.
This virus grows by promoting hatred of America. It does that by marketing
its interpretation of our global behavior which it finds threatening. We
happen to be experts at marketing. We could spend the money this war may
cost on marketing our good name to the same population this virus infects.
We should evaluate our behavior through their eyes and determine what changes
we can make.
How do people reach the level of anger, hatred and frustration reflected in
the recent attacks on the United States. Our response can reinforce and
provide the soil, seeds and nutrients for future cycles of revenge and
violence or we can change it.
We could avoid doing what they expect. What they expect from us is the
lashing out of the giant against the weak, the many against the few. This
will reinforce the capacity to perpetuate the myth they carefully seek to
sustain-- that they are under threat, fighting an irrational and mad system
that is immoral to the core and wishes to destroy them and their people.
What we need to destroy is their myth, not their people.
The terrorists have understood that blending in with their enemy creates a
base from within. They have not needed to face down their enemy with a
"bigger stick." They changed the game. They entered our homes and turned
our own tools into our demise. We will not win this struggle with
traditional weapons of war. We need to change the game again.
As for the pacifist with the bloody nose.... who's got the bigger balls?
--John Deikis
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