Twin Stars Exploding
Acrylic on Canvas / 16” by 20” / $ 299
Explosions are part of creation. When the product of emotions, they can get channeled for good as well as evil.
Exploding Emotions
Last week I wrote about passion. Due to the horrendous attacks in Orlando my thoughts turn towards anger because the two can be intimately intertwined and also because I need to understand why such things happen. Aggressive behaviors often result from a person passionately embracing a cause that was triggered by real or perceived injustice. Anger festers and churns eventually became so violent that like a volcano it erupts in an explosion that does great harm to others in the name of passion for a cause.
A terrorist’s violence usually does little good to further his or her stated purpose. Instead, a common public reaction is to close down empathy, shut off communication and increase vows to retaliate. Horror, hatred, punishment and revenge are the overwhelming outcome and questions of why it happened in the first place take a back seat.
In the United States, most of us espouse change by law and not violence, yet a great many frustrated individuals resort to aggression when their way is not endorsed. People who are not heard may decide that the only way to get attention is to maim, kill or destroy property.
I was intrigued by a sentence in a book by Joy Kogawa about the plight of Japanese-Canadians during World War I I. In ITSUKA she writes about a eulogy given at a funeral. “He praises his dead friend because he never complained, because he paid the price for harmony in a world of discord. He did not add to the din. He was obedient to the command to be meek, but he did not in the end, I am thinking, inherit the earth.”
What is the way forward? Is it better to be quiet and not make waves or to live in the wild west and take law into your own hands? Do we continue to interpret “the right to bare arms,” as permission to use assault weapons? If not to kill then why does anyone need such a lethal machine? It certainly is not for sportsmanlike hunting purposes.
Consider religious fanatics who burn abortion clinics and shoot their doctors. Most of those killers consider themselves to be religious practitioners following the teaching of God. Unfortunately in support of their actions, Christianity, Judaism and Muslim religions are replete with hateful statements about non-believers. Yet, there are also many passages that speak of love. The new testament says, “turn the other cheek” and the ten commandments include, “thou shalt not kill,” but self-righteous fanatics ignore those teachings and commit the very crime they abhor. How did they become radicalized and care so little for humanity?
According to an article by Jennifer Williams for Vox, there is no one religion that can shoulder the blame for violence. It is found among followers of all religions and of every political persuasion. But becoming “radicalized” is not the same as becoming a terrorist. Many individuals who follow extremist views are not violent. Of the 318 events identified in an FBI report only 7% were attributed to Islamic extremists.
The article mentions societal factors associated with a higher risk of radicalization;
• The presence of a large minority population that is socially, politically, and economically marginalized
• Treatment of certain groups as “suspect communities” that are subjected to invasive and overbearing counterterrorism efforts
• A cultural or political hostility toward religion in general or Islam in particular
• Unpopular foreign policies, such as support for repressive regimes or involvement in a military campaign, especially in a predominantly Muslim country (or several of them)
• The presence of preexisting recruitment networks
Following are a few of the individual risk factors;
• Personal ties to an already radicalized individual
• A sense of personal failure, often tied with a yearning to do something important and meaningful with one’s life
• A desire for adventure, rebellion, and life experience
• The need to belong
• Feelings of compassion and concern for the suffering of others with whom one feels some kind of personal connection, often (but not necessarily always) co-religionists
• And, of course, good old-fashioned teenage angst
And NPR reporter mentioned the possibility that the Orlando shooter was confused by his own sexual identity. For years he paid visits to the gay nightclub he massacred. There is no one path to radicalization but the most common either begin in prison or derive from the internet, social media and personal ties to friends and family. . According to Bruce Hoffman in The Daily Beast, terrorists are motivated by altruism, albeit misguided, feelings of self- defense, and a commitment to their faith with the belief that they are divinely commanded. They are difficult to locate in advance which makes dealing with them so difficult.
It is my opinion that we need to rethink our counterterrorism policies by diffusing individualized feelings and working to neutralize organizations that are a threat to our way of life. We need to find ways of changing people’s minds so terror will never be considered a way forward. To do so systems have to be in place that listen to both individual and organized group complaints so that people feel heard. Mental health services can be utilized to help confused, disgruntled people and criminal zealots who have lost their way.
I remember when an close acquaintance of mine allowed his 13 year old daughter to accompany a friend to an evangelical Christian summer camp. It took only one week for her to become brainwashed. Campers were required to stay up past midnight when they were exhausted and vulnerable in order to participate in mind altering services. They were even told how to deal with their parents upon returning home. My friend had to send is daughter to a psychologist who specialized in cult post-trauma recovery. I now understand how easy it is for a vulnerable person to be brainwashed and how difficult it is for that individual to renounce newly adopted beliefs.
There is much that can be done to combat terrorism. Politicians can pay special attention to all of their constituents, not just those with money or share their biases. For instance, many oppose Syrian immigration to the U.S., and though I am not one of them, it is important to listen, reach out and discuss various viewpoints and options before making a decision that affects the country. Citizens want to be heard and responded to with dignity. They have a right to feel comfortable in their homes, not afraid to travel freely and satisfied that their concerns are being addressed.
Government could help by responding more quickly to the needs of the growing army of ignored citizens, many of whom are poor and jobless. The press could be supportive by focusing less on inflammatory remarks and reporting on the news rather than sensationalism. What happened to programs by Edward R. Murrow, John Cameron Swayze, Huntley and Brinkley, Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite? Where are the reporters who dig deeply for understanding? Who do you trust to report unadulterated news? When did news stations lose their independence?
Lastly, kindness and social awareness need to be taught as part of the school curriculum so violence and bigotry have a chance of being nipped in the bud. Bullies, terrorists and racists are not heroes. The melting pot envisioned by early Americans is a good one that can work to our benefit if we want it to.
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/20/9764078/paris-terrorist-radicalization – How ordinary people become terrorists.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/27/answers-to-why-people-become-terrorists.html – Why people become terrorists.
http://www.csj.org/studyindex/studyrecovery/study_trauma.htm – Cult Post-trauma recovery
Art work is always for sale. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com
Do respond below with your thoughts.
___________________________
For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. Go to AMAZON .
Home » Blog » Exploding Emotions
Table of Contents
Acrylic on Canvas / 16” by 20” / $ 299
Explosions are part of creation. When the product of emotions, they can get channeled for good as well as evil.
Exploding Emotions
Last week I wrote about passion. Due to the horrendous attacks in Orlando my thoughts turn towards anger because the two can be intimately intertwined and also because I need to understand why such things happen. Aggressive behaviors often result from a person passionately embracing a cause that was triggered by real or perceived injustice. Anger festers and churns eventually became so violent that like a volcano it erupts in an explosion that does great harm to others in the name of passion for a cause.
A terrorist’s violence usually does little good to further his or her stated purpose. Instead, a common public reaction is to close down empathy, shut off communication and increase vows to retaliate. Horror, hatred, punishment and revenge are the overwhelming outcome and questions of why it happened in the first place take a back seat.
In the United States, most of us espouse change by law and not violence, yet a great many frustrated individuals resort to aggression when their way is not endorsed. People who are not heard may decide that the only way to get attention is to maim, kill or destroy property.
I was intrigued by a sentence in a book by Joy Kogawa about the plight of Japanese-Canadians during World War I I. In ITSUKA she writes about a eulogy given at a funeral. “He praises his dead friend because he never complained, because he paid the price for harmony in a world of discord. He did not add to the din. He was obedient to the command to be meek, but he did not in the end, I am thinking, inherit the earth.”
What is the way forward? Is it better to be quiet and not make waves or to live in the wild west and take law into your own hands? Do we continue to interpret “the right to bare arms,” as permission to use assault weapons? If not to kill then why does anyone need such a lethal machine? It certainly is not for sportsmanlike hunting purposes.
Consider religious fanatics who burn abortion clinics and shoot their doctors. Most of those killers consider themselves to be religious practitioners following the teaching of God. Unfortunately in support of their actions, Christianity, Judaism and Muslim religions are replete with hateful statements about non-believers. Yet, there are also many passages that speak of love. The new testament says, “turn the other cheek” and the ten commandments include, “thou shalt not kill,” but self-righteous fanatics ignore those teachings and commit the very crime they abhor. How did they become radicalized and care so little for humanity?
According to an article by Jennifer Williams for Vox, there is no one religion that can shoulder the blame for violence. It is found among followers of all religions and of every political persuasion. But becoming “radicalized” is not the same as becoming a terrorist. Many individuals who follow extremist views are not violent. Of the 318 events identified in an FBI report only 7% were attributed to Islamic extremists.
The article mentions societal factors associated with a higher risk of radicalization;
• The presence of a large minority population that is socially, politically, and economically marginalized
• Treatment of certain groups as “suspect communities” that are subjected to invasive and overbearing counterterrorism efforts
• A cultural or political hostility toward religion in general or Islam in particular
• Unpopular foreign policies, such as support for repressive regimes or involvement in a military campaign, especially in a predominantly Muslim country (or several of them)
• The presence of preexisting recruitment networks
Following are a few of the individual risk factors;
• Personal ties to an already radicalized individual
• A sense of personal failure, often tied with a yearning to do something important and meaningful with one’s life
• A desire for adventure, rebellion, and life experience
• The need to belong
• Feelings of compassion and concern for the suffering of others with whom one feels some kind of personal connection, often (but not necessarily always) co-religionists
• And, of course, good old-fashioned teenage angst
And NPR reporter mentioned the possibility that the Orlando shooter was confused by his own sexual identity. For years he paid visits to the gay nightclub he massacred. There is no one path to radicalization but the most common either begin in prison or derive from the internet, social media and personal ties to friends and family. . According to Bruce Hoffman in The Daily Beast, terrorists are motivated by altruism, albeit misguided, feelings of self- defense, and a commitment to their faith with the belief that they are divinely commanded. They are difficult to locate in advance which makes dealing with them so difficult.
It is my opinion that we need to rethink our counterterrorism policies by diffusing individualized feelings and working to neutralize organizations that are a threat to our way of life. We need to find ways of changing people’s minds so terror will never be considered a way forward. To do so systems have to be in place that listen to both individual and organized group complaints so that people feel heard. Mental health services can be utilized to help confused, disgruntled people and criminal zealots who have lost their way.
I remember when an close acquaintance of mine allowed his 13 year old daughter to accompany a friend to an evangelical Christian summer camp. It took only one week for her to become brainwashed. Campers were required to stay up past midnight when they were exhausted and vulnerable in order to participate in mind altering services. They were even told how to deal with their parents upon returning home. My friend had to send is daughter to a psychologist who specialized in cult post-trauma recovery. I now understand how easy it is for a vulnerable person to be brainwashed and how difficult it is for that individual to renounce newly adopted beliefs.
There is much that can be done to combat terrorism. Politicians can pay special attention to all of their constituents, not just those with money or share their biases. For instance, many oppose Syrian immigration to the U.S., and though I am not one of them, it is important to listen, reach out and discuss various viewpoints and options before making a decision that affects the country. Citizens want to be heard and responded to with dignity. They have a right to feel comfortable in their homes, not afraid to travel freely and satisfied that their concerns are being addressed.
Government could help by responding more quickly to the needs of the growing army of ignored citizens, many of whom are poor and jobless. The press could be supportive by focusing less on inflammatory remarks and reporting on the news rather than sensationalism. What happened to programs by Edward R. Murrow, John Cameron Swayze, Huntley and Brinkley, Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite? Where are the reporters who dig deeply for understanding? Who do you trust to report unadulterated news? When did news stations lose their independence?
Lastly, kindness and social awareness need to be taught as part of the school curriculum so violence and bigotry have a chance of being nipped in the bud. Bullies, terrorists and racists are not heroes. The melting pot envisioned by early Americans is a good one that can work to our benefit if we want it to.
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/20/9764078/paris-terrorist-radicalization – How ordinary people become terrorists.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/27/answers-to-why-people-become-terrorists.html – Why people become terrorists.
http://www.csj.org/studyindex/studyrecovery/study_trauma.htm – Cult Post-trauma recovery
Art work is always for sale. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com
Do respond below with your thoughts.
___________________________
For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. Go to AMAZON .
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