I want to state right up front that I stand with my French brothers and sisters for free speech and freedom of the press. I condemn what happened at Charlie Hebdo and I hope and pray that something like this never happens again. Having said that I cannot in all good faith say, "I am Charlie."
For those who don't know, Charlie Hebdo is a satirical publication that delights in poking at the establishment. There is a need for this kind of humor and people who delight in poking at the bear. They help us laugh at ourselves and put a spotlight on hypocrisy. I also understand that we all feel a bit protected and do not expect the kind of ruthless violence that occurred, especially when we are dealing with humor or just the written word. I am not sure if the writers at Charlie Hebdo expected what happened. It is a terrible tragedy.
But now we know what may happen. We have seen a ruthless people and the organisations that spawned them who now hold up these outlaws as saints and martyrs. If we are truly to be like Charlie Hebdo, we should probably all put a stick figure on our Facebook pages with the caption "Mohammad" and if they arrive at our house with machine guns, yell about free speech and go down fighting. I am not so brave, nor do I think most people are. I wonder if even those who died would have done what they did if they had known what was going to happen.
We need to get to the root cause. The Islamic world has changed our world: every airport has security beyond what we ever would have expected beforehand; the citizens of places that have experienced terrorism are always looking over one shoulder, knowing that something may happen. I do think, though, that the Islamic world wants better. I feel like we are dealing with children who know how to use guns. If something doesn't go their way, they are happy to resort to violence. What is needed on that side is to understand that the world is aware of them and they need to claim a place in the world arena, but to do that, they have to grow up. Give room for differing opinions and faiths. If they are right, let god sort it out when our lives are over. A totalitarian iron fist may work for a desert settlement, or a locale of 2-3 thousand people. But once you start looking at the world, there are too many variations and no one can expect total adherence to one belief system. There will always be the people who swim upstream. If you tell them you cannot put 30 golf balls in a toilet, make sure you make packs of 31, because there will be a huge demand.
On our side, though, I think we need to understand the gravity of what they believe and try and help them past this point. Christianity was no better at all a few hundred years ago. They had their own set of martyrs and ridiculous Inquisitions and trying to take over the world through the crusades. But the religion has matured. Until they mature past this period, perhaps going against the grain is not the best thing to do until things settle a bit. Perhaps a moratorium on pictures of Mohammad and maybe a dialog? I don't know. I am not a politician. Perhaps the new pope can come up with something. He has been doing a great job in soothing some violence.
Be peaceful everyone. Maybe there is another way.
For those who don't know, Charlie Hebdo is a satirical publication that delights in poking at the establishment. There is a need for this kind of humor and people who delight in poking at the bear. They help us laugh at ourselves and put a spotlight on hypocrisy. I also understand that we all feel a bit protected and do not expect the kind of ruthless violence that occurred, especially when we are dealing with humor or just the written word. I am not sure if the writers at Charlie Hebdo expected what happened. It is a terrible tragedy.
But now we know what may happen. We have seen a ruthless people and the organisations that spawned them who now hold up these outlaws as saints and martyrs. If we are truly to be like Charlie Hebdo, we should probably all put a stick figure on our Facebook pages with the caption "Mohammad" and if they arrive at our house with machine guns, yell about free speech and go down fighting. I am not so brave, nor do I think most people are. I wonder if even those who died would have done what they did if they had known what was going to happen.
We need to get to the root cause. The Islamic world has changed our world: every airport has security beyond what we ever would have expected beforehand; the citizens of places that have experienced terrorism are always looking over one shoulder, knowing that something may happen. I do think, though, that the Islamic world wants better. I feel like we are dealing with children who know how to use guns. If something doesn't go their way, they are happy to resort to violence. What is needed on that side is to understand that the world is aware of them and they need to claim a place in the world arena, but to do that, they have to grow up. Give room for differing opinions and faiths. If they are right, let god sort it out when our lives are over. A totalitarian iron fist may work for a desert settlement, or a locale of 2-3 thousand people. But once you start looking at the world, there are too many variations and no one can expect total adherence to one belief system. There will always be the people who swim upstream. If you tell them you cannot put 30 golf balls in a toilet, make sure you make packs of 31, because there will be a huge demand.
On our side, though, I think we need to understand the gravity of what they believe and try and help them past this point. Christianity was no better at all a few hundred years ago. They had their own set of martyrs and ridiculous Inquisitions and trying to take over the world through the crusades. But the religion has matured. Until they mature past this period, perhaps going against the grain is not the best thing to do until things settle a bit. Perhaps a moratorium on pictures of Mohammad and maybe a dialog? I don't know. I am not a politician. Perhaps the new pope can come up with something. He has been doing a great job in soothing some violence.
Be peaceful everyone. Maybe there is another way.
Comments
Post a Comment