Thursday, September 07, 2006
Fundies & The War On Terrorism
We all have multiple identities. Race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, class, and probably some others that do not spring readily to mind.
Every identity has it’s fundamentalists, the gatekeepers of what is permissible for those who share that specific identity. They usually have their work cut out for them to keep everyone within their identity toeing the line. Their one commonality is that they are all reactionary, guardians of authenticity, there job is to deny complexity and impose uniformity.
They exploit identity as an end rather than a beginning from which to connect with humanity and exclude the rest of humanity from their specific niche. They are devoted to eternal and exclusive truths and brook no dissent or debate.
A Christian fundamentalist will only recognize you as a fellow human being up to a certain point unless you also are a Christian, beyond that point you are just one more lost sinner.
In the real world identities do not exist in a vacuum and are rooted in material conditions that confer power and privilege in relationship to one another.
Lets examine 9/11 for a moment with regard to national identity. Immediately nationalist fundamentalism took grip after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and has been thriving ever since. We are told REAL Americans will rally round and support the administration in the war on terrorism, and that if you do not agree you are not a real American, you are the enemy.
Fundamentalists thrive only at times of crisis. The rest of the time we can pretty much ignore them and be true to all our combined identities.
So here is the problem. Finding alternative and more attractive routes out of the current crisis, breaking the cycle of violence that is snowballing out of control.
The Taoist ideal of sitting quietly is something poets, artists and mystics usually know how to do. When our minds are stuffed full of current ideas there is no room for new thoughts and we are unable to be truly creative.
In our current situation we are faced with a great need for creative solutions to the unprecedented dangers of the day. It was unthinkable after 9/11 to declare a 40 or 60 day period of mourning and take no further action until the horrific reality was fully accepted and understood.
Instead, without all the facts, politicians reached after short-sighted policies. Afghanistan, Iraq, threats to Iran, all of which have made a bad situation much worse. I have said before that you can make a terrorist, but you cannot unmake one.
Listening is a rare commodity, as is forgiveness, and in fact forgetfulness. ( at this point I can feel the knee-jerk reaction of those fundies who still cry remember the Alamo and throw the Mexican over the newly built wall to the South.) I do not mean we should forget the past entirely, I do mean we need to sit quietly and listen. We need to start from scratch and be ready to forget who did what to whom so that we can actually negotiate peace for our people. It is clear that the current administration has no intention of anything but continued violation of the laws of our nation. The headlines even on a local small time paper this morning told of more prisoners that have been being held in secret without legal recourse, who have just been shipped to Guantanamo.
Sit quiet for a moment, and reflect, let your mind empty. Then look at the reality of what the administration is doing and ask yourself if you believe in the rule of law. If you answer yes you believe in the rule of law, then it is your duty as an American to rid the country of an administration that has become a dictatorship eroding away all the human and civil rights this country was founded on based on the premise they are at war on terrorism. The only way to stop the terrorism is to stop feeding it by creating more terrorists.
Every identity has it’s fundamentalists, the gatekeepers of what is permissible for those who share that specific identity. They usually have their work cut out for them to keep everyone within their identity toeing the line. Their one commonality is that they are all reactionary, guardians of authenticity, there job is to deny complexity and impose uniformity.
They exploit identity as an end rather than a beginning from which to connect with humanity and exclude the rest of humanity from their specific niche. They are devoted to eternal and exclusive truths and brook no dissent or debate.
A Christian fundamentalist will only recognize you as a fellow human being up to a certain point unless you also are a Christian, beyond that point you are just one more lost sinner.
In the real world identities do not exist in a vacuum and are rooted in material conditions that confer power and privilege in relationship to one another.
Lets examine 9/11 for a moment with regard to national identity. Immediately nationalist fundamentalism took grip after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and has been thriving ever since. We are told REAL Americans will rally round and support the administration in the war on terrorism, and that if you do not agree you are not a real American, you are the enemy.
Fundamentalists thrive only at times of crisis. The rest of the time we can pretty much ignore them and be true to all our combined identities.
So here is the problem. Finding alternative and more attractive routes out of the current crisis, breaking the cycle of violence that is snowballing out of control.
The Taoist ideal of sitting quietly is something poets, artists and mystics usually know how to do. When our minds are stuffed full of current ideas there is no room for new thoughts and we are unable to be truly creative.
In our current situation we are faced with a great need for creative solutions to the unprecedented dangers of the day. It was unthinkable after 9/11 to declare a 40 or 60 day period of mourning and take no further action until the horrific reality was fully accepted and understood.
Instead, without all the facts, politicians reached after short-sighted policies. Afghanistan, Iraq, threats to Iran, all of which have made a bad situation much worse. I have said before that you can make a terrorist, but you cannot unmake one.
Listening is a rare commodity, as is forgiveness, and in fact forgetfulness. ( at this point I can feel the knee-jerk reaction of those fundies who still cry remember the Alamo and throw the Mexican over the newly built wall to the South.) I do not mean we should forget the past entirely, I do mean we need to sit quietly and listen. We need to start from scratch and be ready to forget who did what to whom so that we can actually negotiate peace for our people. It is clear that the current administration has no intention of anything but continued violation of the laws of our nation. The headlines even on a local small time paper this morning told of more prisoners that have been being held in secret without legal recourse, who have just been shipped to Guantanamo.
Sit quiet for a moment, and reflect, let your mind empty. Then look at the reality of what the administration is doing and ask yourself if you believe in the rule of law. If you answer yes you believe in the rule of law, then it is your duty as an American to rid the country of an administration that has become a dictatorship eroding away all the human and civil rights this country was founded on based on the premise they are at war on terrorism. The only way to stop the terrorism is to stop feeding it by creating more terrorists.
