I'VE ALWAYS FOUND the idea of fanaticism, of being a fanatic, rather disturbing, to put it mildly. The effort it takes, the suspension of, well, common sense it takes to be a true fanatic are scary to an extreme.
Take the Palestinians, for example. So, as far as they are concerned, they want the Israelis out. How do they approach the situation? One security checkpoint at a time baby, one checkpoint at a time.
Seriously, what kind of mindset do you have to have in order to strap on a bomb and detonate it in order to kill a number of strangers who have never done anything to you and yours, and merely want to remain a member of the human race while scrabbling out some sort of existence?
Not that the Israelis are much better, mind you, they are just a tad more sophisticated - instead of sending a man or woman with a bomb to blow the living bejesus out of you, they do it from the relative safety of the air. I guess they have a better sense of self-preservation. The gods must be crazy, no?
I don't agree with you and the best solution I can come up with is well, I kill you. There, problem solved.
Fanatics.
Sheesh.
Of course, this is not limited to the Middle East. Not in the slightest. In the words of Roxette, every time I fall in love, crash, boom, bang - who loves you baby? I watched a movie the other day that helped bring it all home for me. It is called City of God. Switch Portuguese for English and Rio de Janeiro with Kingston and it could have been the story of Jamaica - a fight for control for turf and a piece of the drug trade.
Have control
In their own way, gunmen and drug traders are fanatics in their own right. They want, no need, to have control. Money and power, that is all what it is about, and the sanctity of human life be damned. I want what's mine and the rest be damned.
Of course, let's go back overseas and take a look at say, Iraq. These people who are carrying out raids against occupying troops -- do you actually think they want Saddam the hole dweller back in power? They couldn't care less. They just want to inflict death and destruction, and should they die in the process, well, more power to Allah. After all, there are 70 or so virgins waiting at the end of the line and death to the infidels (I'm not sure I can blame them for this train of thought, if the truth be told. After all, how would I feel if my country got invaded because of a particular natural resource?).
At least they hope so. Wouldn't it be 'something' to die for a cause and to wake up in say, hell, where a virgin will end up being the furthest thing from your mind? And on that note, do any of these people know what it is like to have sex with one virgin, never mind 70? Not my idea of paradise, but hey.
However, let's be fair shall we? Fanaticism is not limited to the followers of the prophet Mohammed. Christians - and Jews - can be just as bad, if not worse. Have you ever run into a particularly zealous person intent on getting your ass converted before the end of days finally gets here? Ouch.
Repent! The end is near! Blah, blah, blah-- You're a sinner and I'm pure, follow the way or you are lost for all eternity-- Just shut the hell up already will you?
I am seriously not interested in anything that requires the giving up of free will and the adoption of a way of life which seemingly dictates the abdication of common sense. God created us all with the power of choice and I am pretty sure he intended us to use it -- in other words, sure, go ahead, believe in God and act accordingly, but don't be an ass while you are at it.
Comments, questions, rants? Email me at chaos_theory@ureach.com
