Wanderer

Innocence Lost Now that the anniversary of the September 11 bombings comes and goes and people are forced to focus once more upon that historic day, the question, for one more time, arises in many minds or is whispered openly like a curse: What kind of people could do such a thing, what sort of human beings can be responsible for so much death and destruction, what type of men can inflict so much misery upon “innocent” civilians with no thought to their personal survival or the many victims they will take with them? The answer in my mind is simple and quit obvious. If one needs to see what kind of person can do such violent deeds driven by raw emotion, illogical passion and blind faith, all they have to do is proceed to their local church, synagogue or temple and look in; if one is curious about what sort of human beings these “insane”, “”evil” suicidal hijackers were, all they have to do is open their front doors and look at their complacent, unquestioning, undoubting neighbors; if one is desperate to discover what type of men can inflict so much mindless pain and suffering upon others in the name of a supposed “God”, they only supposedly know intimately and who’s wishes they follow or in the name of an ideal they are certain about and harbor no secret doubt on, all they have to do is open their TV’s and tune into the Sunday religious morning shows or into the nationalistic, corporate, propaganda machines calling themselves News shows. These misdirected individuals that can board a plane and with no apparent second thought take it over and crash it into the side of a building or that can strap bombs around their waists and detonate them in the middle of crowded public streets taking themselves and all those around them into the dark void are not restricted to the Islamic faith or to a particular faith, ideology or nationality. In fact when we look back into history we see that Christians and all other faiths-perhaps with the exception of Buddhism for various reasons-have produced in their history atrocities, violence, suffering and blind hate while all along preaching or pretending to represent the opposite values. The only difference between these Muslim, fanatic, automatons and the Christian variety is a matter of geographical circumstances, environmental conditions, historic coincidences, prejudicial labels and nothing more. When a theology, an ideology or a philosophy feels vulnerable and weak it lashes out in defense, like a cornered beast, and is forced into desperate actions as it struggles to survive and to maintain its existence, its relevance and its influence on the international scene. Every faith and ideology has, at times, created martyrs and has spread destruction and suffering in the world in the name of a hypothetical ideal and a theoretical entity. In fact the necessity for absolute acceptance of their dogmas is a prerequisite for admittance into their fold and strict obedience is demanded making personal sacrifices possible and self denial probable. Today it is Islam that feels threatened by western power, globalization and internal insecurities; today it is Islam that feels cornered, desperate and facing extinction while western Christians sit back in comfort and safety pondering from their metaphysical high seat at the level of primitive belief that can lead to this kind of violence and secretly thanking their lucky stars that they were fortunate enough not to believe in so much nonsense that would make them take their own lives and that of others in vain; they sit in front of their televisions in self proclaimed moral superiority and holy righteousness and are thankful that they somehow have come to believe in the “one” “true” God, the one of love and compassion, and have not been tempted by Satan to believe in these violent theologies and primitive dogmas. But, they forget or may not even be aware of the fact that, there was a time when the roles were reversed and it was Islam that held the high “moral” ground of power, security and cultural well-being and it was Islam that could afford to be socially open minded and tolerant of other faiths and it was Christianity that struggled to survive producing such monumental atrocities as the Crusades, the Holy Inquisitions, witch hunts, persecutions, wars, Papal decrees and inhumane behavior of all sorts while all the while doing it in the name of a just, compassionate, “good” and noble God. So for them now to pretend, once again, to hold the superior, tolerant, moderate, civilized, ethical high ground and to be aghast at the conclusions weak, impressionable minds can come to when placed in environments of squalor and hopelessness or to hypocritically delude themselves that they are above such deeds and incapable of such blind ignorance is, to say the least, delusional, pathetic and, if not so dangerous, humorous as well. The truth is that in order for the question: “What kinds of people could do such a thing?” to be answered in any objective way, we should not look to specific dogmas and religious mythologies nor should we isolate particular nationalities, cultures and races of man but we must become aware of the general human propensity to believe in self-satisfying and gratifying fairy tales and to accept theories on truth that benefit them or flatter them with absolute, indubitable and complete fanaticism in order to secure their personal psychological health or to escape the cold, hard reality that they cannot otherwise escape or come to terms with. To understand the roots of the September 11 bombings we must look into human evolutionary psychology, in the human ability to grasp at hope even when unjustified and possessing no logical argument in its defense and in human arrogance, emotionalism and instinctive genetically programmed behaviors. There has been an effort made in the western press to eliminate the responsibilities of the west from the events of that day. Pundits, on TV news shows, escape western guilt by attempting the emotional monopolization of pain and avoiding an in-depth analysis of what lead to young middle-class men into feeling so helpless and hopeless as to succumb to religious brainwashing and to reach for the metaphysical life preserver religion possesses to entice weak characters and tragedy stricken, unfortunate individuals with. The very characterization of these unsuspecting Twin Tower victims as “innocent” reveals an avoidance of the liability of citizens in the acts of their elected officials and attempts to avoid the social implications of a consumer society, drunk on processed fats, entertainment lethargy, ignorant power and self interested morals. I am skeptical as to how “innocent” these unfortunate victims really were and I wonder as to what level of responsibility a voting citizen shares in the deeds of its leaders-especially in a democratic society-or if the lethargic, apathy defense can be used as an excuse here. [it’s the same excuse German war criminals used in the Nuremberg trials.] It would appear that Americans have no qualms about their armed forces bombing Serbia, Iraq or Vietnam, they see no innocent victims in the faces of Nicaraguan, Panamanian, Chilean, Serbian, Iraqi, Vietnamese, Korean, Cuban-to name a few-casualties and choose to see them as collateral damage and unfortunate casualties for which they earnestly apologize for but that were necessary for the greater “good” they are the interpreters of and the representatives of. American “innocent” civilians seem more than capable of turning a blind eye when what is at stake is their four bedroom house, their two cars in the driveway, their cheap gas, their consumption of a disproportionate amount of goods when compared to the world average or when their personal freedom to be as selfish, egotistical and self absorbed is at stake. Their definition of freedom is the ability to choose between one soap and another, to have access to multiple brands of soft drink or to drink and eat themselves to death, while the last election fiasco of Bush junior leaves them yawning and his obvious inadequacy, moronic ignorance, below average intelligence, and overall obtuseness does not phase them in the least. I suppose Americans prefer not to look up at their leaders but down on them, they do not choose based on the candidates apparent superiority in making decisions on their behalf but prefer the next door neighbor type [with the powerful connections and goofy smile] that they can feel comfortable with and that reminds them of themselves in so many ways; they don’t want to be intimidated by their leaders they want them to mirror their mediocrity, apathy, lack of intellectual concerns; they don’t want to be inspired and challenged by their leaders but prefer those that make them feel good about their own insecurities and stupidity [Gawrsh!!! If he can become president then darn it I ain’t so bad after all]. Americans don’t want leaders that are better informed, well read and possessing minds that will be put in their service but wish rather for one needing a teleprompter; that achieves power through connected interests and buys his position but does not earn it. [Then again who believes it’s the president that is in charge anyway. This recent president uncovers the dirty little secret of US “democracy”] So were these people “innocent” or just ignorant? I guess the stupidity defense can be used -after all we don’t kill our dog because it shits on the carpet- but what does that say about democracy in general and about the human species? Did these “innocent” victims rebel against Reagan and his international politics even when the Contra fiasco was uncovered? No, it seems they are more intolerant of Clinton’s sexual exploits and his lies to keep them secret but paramilitary groups destroying a people and labeling themselves as “freedom fighters” paid for by drug money leaves them uninterested. Did Americans think about the human lives lost in all their surgical, aerial bombings that their heroic, warrior angels conduct to keep their bank accounts full, their lack of interest intact and their plutocracy healthy? No, they appear more concerned as to who will screw whom in Hollywood and how many luxurious homes this or that billionaire has as they sit in their little apartment struggling to pay the rent. Do Americans even know where Iraq is or Afghanistan? No, but they sure know where the supermarket is so that they can buy those chips and dip they use to dull themselves into oblivion in front of sit-com, reality programs. Their waist lines grow as their brains shrink and all is well in the world of the inebriated. Are Americans angry about the recent corporate corruption scandals? Well from the reactions they are more concerned about Baseball strikes, Tom Cruises next movie and big government meddling in their affairs Are Americans frustrated by the last election fraud and the Judicial decision to give the presidency to an incompetent buffoon who’s father gave them their seats? No, they find George W. cute as he struggles to put a coherent sentence together and lives on the coaching of his advisors. What does the health care system matter when they got McDonalds and Burger King to keep them content? Then these same “innocent” Americans accuse the world of being jealous of them and their freedoms and they explain the apparent common international hatred of them in simplistic, superficial ways that has the added benefit of making them feel good as well. Now, as the first September 11 anniversary passes and the American propaganda machine has ingrained this date forever in our minds, the US prepares its citizens and the world for the upcoming battle of “good” against “evil”. It protects its freedoms by taking them away from others half a globe away; it defends its “ideal” society by ensuring future gasoline flow, corporate anarchy and money morality. The cycle continues. The source of all human suffering and the biggest barrier to human destiny is the weakness of mind and the cowardice of spirit that enables mythologies to take root and be used for other purposes, it is the human predisposition to emotional perception and instinctual need that eradicates objective logical understanding of the universe and our place in it, it is the lies we tell ourselves to sleep at night and to wake with our minds untroubled. Human ignorance and the motivations of those more clever to manipulate human psychologies by distorting reality and truth is what leads to unsupervised, undeserved, unearned power with unknown motives and consequences that can lead to the annihilation of our species entirely if left unchecked. The unconcerned absolutism, uninformed certainty and non-skeptical acceptance of morals and values as given to us by social and cultural institutions we know little about leads to us being used as pawns in a game we are not entirely aware of and who’s rewards for obedience may be enticing but are temporary and superficial in the long run. To prevent ourselves from being “innocent” victims or unfortunate collateral casualties perhaps we should become willing, responsible, informed, aware and capable participants. Otherwise you will always be surprised by human actions and stunned by human hatred…but then again your ignorance suits me fine also.