GOING OUT WITH A BLAZE OF GLORY
OR
THE WORLD SHOULD END WITH A BANG
NOT A WIMPER
A number of articles attempting to objectify the terrorist phenomena indicate that many of them are remarkably intelligent, educated, some women as well as men, and a few even parents.
If we shake off the natural inclination to explain the whole "movement" as oviously "crazy" zealots then it forces us to try to really understand what makes them tick - if indeed there is a particular path to understanding.
Having worked with substance abusers for over forty years it occurred to me today that the modern day terrorist may be the substance abusers' polar opposite. When you peer into the inner reality of many substance abusers you inevitably run into a big empty space - or as one of my patients put it in his first session: "I feel as if there is a hole in my soul."
Substance abusers at root seem to be suffering from a lack of a psychological structure. In non technical talk the psychological structure I am referrring to is an integrated self. Since the experience of a missing self is quite painful those who become addicted fill the emptiness with the addiction of choice temporarily inducing an illusion of a solid identity.
Drug addicts I worked with in a therapeutic community all had an all encompassing need to be rescued by an external real or imagined force that provided structure, guidance, comfort, help and so forth. This need for some projected authority was often initially denied but once revealed it was seen to be a major preoccupation.
Aside from the often frenetic energy expended in securing their next fix they appeared basically passive without a sense of purpose going round and round in endless circles.
At first glance terrorists seem to be the very opposite of what I have described addicts to be. Terrorists appear to be hyper defined consumed with a singular purpose to kill with the calculated intention of stirring fear in all who are witness to their extreme dedication.
They hardly seem passive but instead active to the max. As fanatics they are secure that they are on the side of absolute right. They apparently do not fear death because the afterlife is highly instinctualized. Far from an abstraction or a fuzzy belief they appear utterly convinced they are going to be well received in fact for their heroic acts.Thus there is no real death for them but a passage to glory.
What is of course noteworthy about them is their apparent lack of any compassion, sensitivity, or concern about the pain they inflict on innocents. Indeed it is precisely their very purpose to make any half -way normal person cower. Their expressed intention is to create overwhelming panic anxiety, leading to debilitating depression, confusion, helplessness, hopelessness, despair, and widespread catatonia.
Irrespective of any pseudo spiritualized, fancy rationalizations for their actions there is no way that they can prettify their barbarism. They may be quite intelligent but they are dissociated from any tender loving feelings. They must, by virtue of what they do and how they do it, be consumed by hatred, frustration, insecurity and an all consuming need for revenge.
What I am suggesting is that committing an act of terror is the equivalent of a shot of heroin for the heroin addict. If I am right both the substance abuser and the terroist are two halves of one side of a coin.
Both are cynics believing that this messy imperfect world is not worth personal struggling to make it better. The heroin addict believes through shooting up that it is possible to avoid the painful emotions that inevitably have to be experienced if he or she is to lead a sober life. He has the illusion that all is perfect as long as he can sustain his drugged dissociated state of consciousness dreading the pain that will be experienced when the eventual hangover shoves it in his reluctant to look - face.
The terrorist also hates and most likely fears this messy world every bit as much as the heroin addict who wants to use the drug as a way to avoid the mess. The terroist apparently believes that since death happens and the world is a mess then you might as well leave it in a blaze of glory. In an odd twist of logic if you take as many innocents with you - babies - included you get not less but more points. As a reward you also get to have an adolescent fantasy fulfilled with how many tens of virgins awaiting the martyr in this Eastern theme and variation of the Playboy Mansion in the sky?
The terrorist apparently has as much contempt for this messy earth plane as does the substance abuser. None of them really give a good g damn about anyone or anything. They are chickens who duck from facing up to real life problems. They both insist there are, or should be, ideal perfect conflict free states of consciousness that end like all ideal fairy tales: "And they lived happily ever after."
If I ruled the world I would have one thing to say to all of them: GROW UP!
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Comments: 29
But our presently evolved society basically has no concept of the true spirituality that could and would solve all of their problems. It is not accepted by most, especially by the world leaders religious and secular who wish to maintain the status-quo of leader/followers.
So where the addict has a hole…he can be, and often is healed via 12 step programs and counciling…but only when he has sunk low enough to want to. That will come from a proper amount of spiritual recognition.
The mentioned terrorist though is another story…a story that will never be understood by the objective observer until they become sufficiently spiritual to personally know the feelings involved. Those that can thus know are relatively rare.
I will go out on a limb here and suggest that I can understand because I have had all of those differing levels of spirituality. From the none that caused a depressive hole with thoughts of suicide. Then that followed by an influx of spirit that resulted in an awakening beyond description (if anyone wants to know more of this, see www.spiritcalls.us ). Upon the initial stages of attempting to understand my new spirituality…I was well aware of the spiritual realm…yes, there really is such a thing. It 'speaks' to those that are open to it, not audibly, but to the mind. Yes, I also know that objective and orthodox medical science denies such and may call it a pathology…but there are also valid opinions that support. It basically comes down to how objective one insists on seeing things.
Back to spiritual voices, there are an infinite number of them if one wants to see it that way. The partially spiritual person may attach names and identities to the voices they hear…if it has really evil inclinations and they recognize such, they may call it the devil or Satan…if they are somewhat religious, they may see it as some other aspect of what they believe about the possibilities. Again, I know…been there done that.
But if one holds out for the very highest truth of the possible spiritual promise, they will come to know God and receive all that come with it…compassion and wisdom.
The mentioned terrorists probably vary widely in temperament, but key is the utter futility of a life lived as they have experienced it, just enough spirituality to really believe that they are doing the right thing according to their reasoning. After all, in the larger unknown spiritual picture, there are no accidents and there are no victims, because there is a Karmic reason for everything…there are angels and beings in realms near ours that do relate to us in all things…believe it or not, This USA insulated society has little concept of how things really are outside of our myopic reality. Especially in the midst of third world poverty that has been ongoing for ages, much of which has been caused in great part by rich Nation practices of propping up dictators that allow us to rape their natural resources to only our benefit…and those of you that would deny this fact will never understand what I have said here about spirit and the lack of…I rest my case, but I suspect I will have to defend it in later comments.
Is this correct, or is it government propaganda? Part of the government campaign to keep us Afraid, Very Afraid?
First of all, what's a terrorist? We're in dire need of a genuine definition. When is a Freedom Fighter not a Terrorist? Is one nation's freedom fighters another nation's terrorists? Recalling the Nazi occupation of Europe, those who resisted the Nazis were considered freedom fighters, not terrorists, heroic figures to whom we all still owe a great deal. I've never known any terrorists, but I have known, and worked with, quite a few people who were genuine, well-trained, highly active workers in the resistance against the Nazis. Of course I didn't know the ones who, uh, died, sacrificed their lives for a greater good, Of course to the Nazis these people were terrorists. I strongly suspect we have much the same phenomenon, acting on much the same motives, happening now, especially against our occupation of Iraq -- and Afghanistan.
I suspect that there really are the kinds of thugs acting from the kinds of psychological motives you describe, but shouldn't we keep in mind that this is also exactly how the freedom fighters intent on undoing the noble efforts of the Nazis appeared to the Nazis? I think there's more going on psychologically than we're willing to admit to ourselves.
I usually have far too much to say, yet what others have responded is perfect.
Much to ponder, indeed. I truly enjoyed the article and the responses. Brilliant correlation from one who knows the addictive personality. I've been sober for almost 30 years...next month. No applause needed and my name is not "Just Jim." My name is Jim Hillelson and proud to share it all. Chuckles!
EnJoy the day, Gibbs! You have served well.
Keep writing! I'll be back!
Jim
I'm going to try to analyze your analysis from a very narrow perspective in order to make a final point. My narrow perspective is that the IMAGE of GOD's Heaven, which may make it attractive in CERTAINLY an ETERNAL sense, may act as both a lure and an excuse to kill either others or self.
Suppose that a person believes fully that there is God (ALLAH in this case) who wishes ALL human beings to believe as the Muslim believer believes. Suppose that the believer believes that proper REVELATIONS support God's intent. It is well within God's powers to never have a human die : that is there is eternal LIFE. A current misguided 'infidel' is better off DEAD than ALIVE. Similarly, a fellow Muslim is perhaps being given an 'early gift of death' to join Allah by having become a victim as the result of the need to cleanse the environment. (I don't know what the Koran would have to say about this latter point).
Indeed, even a properly religiously oriented person would have to admit that life with God is bound to be superior to a life on Earth. Therefore for the insurgent, there is 'rational' justification for what we 'others' think is brutal and irrational. Among peoples of our Earth there are very varied WORLD views that differ one from another.
In other words they, the insurgents, may not be as cold-blooded as you think from your analysis. Again, in terms of psychiatry I do not know if WILL can hide in action an underlying true humility and understanding. (As Senator Biden says frequently these days : "That's outside my pay grade. I don't KNOW!) Their cause -- to them -- may seem JUST precisely because they may TRULY BELIEVE that the absurdities on Earth created by basically by crusading secular infidels must be 'combated' vigorously with no holds barred. It, that kind of JIHAD, to them is their divine task. Their task may be viewed as the necessity to bring to ALLAH the (remaining) ALL. With the promise of ETERNAL LIFE, what is there to fear. AND there would follow, there is everything to GAIN. LIFE WITH ALLAH. (Again I wish I knew more about the Koran, but I do not!0
Theree seems to me to be a remedy but it does not come out of revelations within history or religious literature -- except for a recasting of some seeming ancient written intent. In the Old Testament there is an implication that GOD has been on Earth and wishes to be on Earth in the future. (I am certainly NOT enough of a scholar to go further). I would add that my inquiries, which are mainly through extant physics and evolutionary theories, suggest to ME that whatever the divine process is that is busily creating (and evolving) complex ENTITIES throughout the UNIVERSE, it can then be inferred that that CREATION PROCESS (God or an INTELLIGENT NATURE) wishes to have human beings exist (as custodians?) of this glorious home of ours -- EARTH. Therefore, don't ever KILL.anyone. Just as Moses reported when the tablets were caried down from the MOUNTAIN to ALL the WORLD -- THE WORLD. God seems to want to have a finite place to GROW. OUR WORLD!
So I disagree -- based on the LOGIC of my argument here -- that there is a 'natural', almost inhuman quality in the ways that insurgents feel and act. Their WORLD VIEW is different from most of 'ours'; their UNIVERSAL VIEW is also different - perhaps radically so. We need a NEW and VIABLE WORLD VIEW, certainly to bind us together as a ONE. We need to REALLY understand one another!
MY FINAL POINT, AS PROMISED : As a youngster I loved a song that started "I LOVE LIFE, AND I WANT TO LIVE". I'd insert just ONE new word " I LOVE -- EARTH -- LIFE, AND I WANT TO LIVE". I suspect that most persons on this planet might feel the same way. Perhaps ALL. Including the insurgents.
Dick
People differ on a continuum with respect to how conscious or unconscious they are in carrying out this unavoidable life long task. With respect to consciousness people differ with respect to being relatively reactive to relatively reflective. People also differ on a continuum from accepting the fact that whatever they believe, think, feel, and conclude is partly arrived at from what they bring to their experience. This brings me to the crux of what I think differentiates the extremists {Muslim or not} from others who are less extreme.
Extremists are convinced that the final authority - name it what you will - God? Mohammed, Jesus, higher power, Master Teacher DK, - is truly out there and transcendent to the self. The other side - may indeed believe in one or all of the above but take final responsibility for their beliefs.
Let me go on record that if I were to choose who I would like to go out to lunch with, or be in partnership with, or have in a cabinet of mine if I ruled the world I would pick those who doubt and assume final responsibility for their belief systems rather than those who are utterly convinced they are being guided by superior unseen transcendent forces. The reason is simple. They are morelikely to be acceptaing of differences - mine included. They are open and creative rather than dogmatic, fixed, and likely to blow my head off if I upset them. Or in the words of Montaingne: "Super celestial thoughts breed subterranean conduct." AMEN
gibbs williams, Jun 24, 2006 | delete
It would be an interesting comparison as well.
I must comment specifically about the concept of a God, or any of the 'lessor' aspects nearing that. I believe the idea of an anthropomorphic God, one imagined as somehow being more like 'us', and that, somehow even thinks like 'us', is too narrow minded, and that causes the different 'thinkers' (us) to have concepts more nearer to our own about what God wants or desires (of us).
What has come to work for me, as a concept, is much too difficult to comment here about...because it is also so simple, that few could understand on the surface, because man has yet to put any stock in the 'kiss' (keep it simple stupid) theory. But in a nutshell, God is the only, but the very highest concept of, unconditional love and truth that man can envision...and probably so much more. All too often the God, spoken of by mankind, is but a god thought to be God. In other words, the Real God is the culmination of all of those 'O' (omni-) words...and as such, we cannot expect to Really know...substitute the ultimate of truth...and you get the God I would speak of...and that would play out as unconditional love...which should play out as Dick is suggesting.
Wonderful subject, wonderful responses.
I know about power and money and such, but the seeking of it by any means necessary at the literal expense of others lives.......
How do we ever understand it?
But I am no scholar, and getting into all of this so late in life, I did not figure I had the time to read up on all of the classical personalities that contributed so much to our understanding. Mainly because of the fact, that the extensive reading that I did in fact do, just brought me to the conclusion that it seems that most of them to some degree or other disagree...and to follow the logical hypothesis' of each and make the necessary connections to then re-argue them would be waste of every ones time.
So I relied on my own spiritual connection to come to my own conclusion...and that is I believe a radical one that contains the essence of what the Trinity means for Christians...a step beyond duality...and maybe even a more expansive monism. In short, it took my writing a book of my own to try to explain. The world may not yet be ready for the message...but down the road they will recognise it to be the one that was needed...in my not so humble opinion. (I did wikipedia Spinoza etc to refresh my memory)...and I do thank you for the recommendation. I have read countless books of all kinds in an attempt to come to grips with my spirituality...and I have yet to find anything that I could come very close to complete agreement with. In fact, that just assures me that each single aspect of creation, including each of us, is but a different aspect of the one God that is the culmination of each and all...by whatever name fits.
Thus we are each meant to be an individual, not in the selfish sense, but in the Selfish sense, then we will realize the value of our diversity and cooperate into a greater synergy. In doing that, we will become over time, ever more jointly creative with the goal a Utopian heaven where we reach our Omega becoming again ONE with God which is where we came from at Alpha (whatever that was)...gee, sounds like preaching, and it is not even Sunday... Love and Respect to each and all, j.
My "layman's observation" about terrorists is that if we dig down to their core, what we will most likely find is a profound sense of powerlessness. As others touched on, there may be a sense of "futility;" of not being able to affect a "crazy" world. Imagine floating around in an ocean, certain you will drown... the ocean is HUGE, and you're not a good swimmer, and you have NO control over ANYthing. Then you find a small branch... because the branch appears as your ONLY hope and option, it becomes "your life," your "salvation." Terrorism appears, I believe, as the "one hope" for profoundly powerless individuals who are lost and drowning in the ocean of life. Their only hope of OK-ness is attached to the "branch" they cling to. And so their dogged "at any cost" determination. Sure, there are many different layers, on top of this, including personality/temperament. Undoubtedly, there's also an element of chance... one powerless youth is recruited by a school, while another is recruited by Al Qaeda. One could question someone like Bin Laden-- who comes from a very privileged background.... but is he truly a "terrorist," or just a crazed "puppetmaster?"
I think you make an extremely valid point in your comment. We all come from two directions in our perception of spirit/religion. the first from our inner core of our soul that speaks ever so softly as our sixth sense or intuition, and the latter from the outer or external input from our society or environment as we perceive that to be, as it is informed by our normal physical and objective senses.
The problem then arises when either of those two (inner/outer) sensory inputs dominates too much our reaction to such. If we react too far either way, we become 'out' of our intended (designed/evolved ?) balance point as a healthy human being. Those that become 'too' spiritual may retreat to a cave and mutter to themselves. Others may seek the guidance of a religion. Some may start and lead their own version of a new or modified old religion. The commonality of all the above is a new or increased sense of spiritual involvement or relationship. Some go 'overboard', some develop a new balance point that fits their concepts of what is, what could be, and what should be. What ever that comes down to, they will react accordingly with spiritual resolve as a sense of purpose transcendent to that of which they had prior to a spiritual 'knowing'.
Because spirit is/seems more powerful than the previous egoic self relationship, many then feel a new sense of power and purpose that may well lead to the very unusual that plays out in various and seemingly strange ways such as so-called spiritual leaders that propose terrorism, along with the related followers that act it out. Each has a valid cause and reason in their unbalanced mind. The 'stick' that they have latched onto is their only knowing of what will save them from their worst fear, that of drowning, in your example, or death, as applicable to most.
Yet that 'stick' assures them that death is not the end of being, as there are eternal rewards as well, all imagined as 'better' than what life here on earth seems to offer. Being 'offended' by those here that they may perceive as the cause of their misery and the problems with either/or both them and the rest of the 'screwed up' world, they believe themselves honorable in the name of their transcendent concept of their spiritual 'saviour' to commit the acts that they do.
We have (most of us) been raised in a dualistic society of good vs. evil, our instructions have been to always seek the one extreme over the other, some middle ground grey area not acceptable, therefore 'balance' is never an option. Yet there really is a spiritual intuition that speaks to us to maintain balance...we just too seldom listen, going rather with the outside combined voice that says to polarize to the 'right' or 'good' place.
What we all need is a new definition of 'Perfection', one that denotes it as the best balance one can have between their inner spiritual input, their natural ability, and what is best overall for mankind as a whole. To seek such is to be led by spirit from within and tempered by the reality without.
Ideally, over time, all would come to that conclusion and action, as the best available for the whole of society.
I could go on here, but this comment has served it's purpose of better defining and expressing my thoughts. There is more, and there will be more on/at other articles of which the current one on synchrony is ongoing as I write here...so, on back to that (and I have noticed that you are following that and interjecting some wise comments and thoughts)
Peace, j.
The above mentioned group went to great lengths NOT to injure 'innocent' bystanders and took pride in themselves to achieve a 'clean execution' of the target only, unlike lets say Muslim terrorists who fight for Islam etc.
But they are both technically terrorists...avengers of something or other, perceiving themselves as heroes, only the first are not so selfless so as to commit suicide for their cause, nor so blind as to kill the innocent.
So perhaps we should draw different psychological profiles for different types of terrorists.
Their common characteristic though is that they believe their cause is right and that they are performing 'justice' somehow...they are determined to the max, extremely focused, persevering ,patient and persistent.
What psychological profile fits to these characteristics?Is there only one, or various?
The words 'obssessive' , 'perfectionist', 'absolute', 'rigid', 'narcissistic', 'borderline', 'idealists' all spring to mind.
i was in paris when they blew-up the metro way before 9/11...a coffee shop in rabat while at the embassy at the start of my career years ago, and a bus in madrid when i was a kid. all this was done by different factions with different goals. at least i hope...now that i've stared writing about it, excuse my glibness, but maybe they're after me:-)!! oh no....
Optimist that I am, I keep hoping that there will be some way to "straighten out" the distorted thinking of the terrorist, but as Richard so eloquently pointed out, whether or not they need to be "straightened" depends entirely on one's point of view. Whew!
So then what?
If you thought life was crap and you had no thought about a hereafter, you just might want to 'get even' with the crappers on your way out.
If you thought as above, but you had a god idea that translated into a parting act of revenge as social justice...
In either of those two cases you would feel justified, and in the second, you would expect a reward maybe. Both are sick, but both may well have been made that way by their environment that is also sick in it's own way.
Then there is the healthy person, secular or religious, that just goes through life doing the best that they can feeling connected to and compassionate of, those around them. They may or may not, have a concern about a hereafter, in any case, they will do no harm to their fellows...and in living such a life, they do not contribute to the sickness around them, but try to improve it.
Then there are a relatively few that are so spiritual as to know that there are spiritual realms all associated with a God of unconditional love. They would never think to stoop so low as to commit what you describe as 'subterranean conduct', on the contrary, because they know without a doubt that all of humanity is connected spiritually and will be held accountable also. Yet it is not fear that holds them in check, it is the love.
So for some, they will act according to their beliefs, which for some matters not at all what they do with their life because there is either no hereafter to be concerned about, or they will be acknowledged as they expect in their minds.
Now I doubt that I have come up with anything you have already not heard, but I am pretty sure that there is one or two aspects here that you do not believe realistic.
(+=-)=:-) (+/-)=:-(
But we must bare in mind that the Muslims you mention are not the only ones that have a view of the 'other' as being the evil ones. There are countless Christians running around that have that same concept about those that do not believe as they do.