Earlier this month I received a New York Times news alert e-mail with the headline, "ISIS Said to Burn Captive Jordanian Pilot to Death in New Video". Without even reading the full article I was horrified, and clearly it's stuck with me.
At first I was angry. I wanted to retaliate, to punish those criminals for the inhumane acts they've committed. I wanted to write President Obama personally urging him to "go get 'em"! And to kill those fighters in the same miserable way the 26-old year pilot met his end.
Then I realized, that's not going to help. A snowball of violence and hate. Going to war, killing more people, is not necessarily the answer. An eye for an eye just makes us all blind, right?
Many of the people in ISIS may be fighting because they don't feel they have any other option. They aren't heard, don't have choices, freedoms, or a clear alternative path. What they need is help. Education. Opportunities. Acceptance. Patience rather than Anger.
Like a tired child throwing a tantrum, maybe these extremists are throwing a huge, awful, violent tantrum. Punishing may only perpetuate. We need to understand the cause of the tantrum and fix the underlying problem.
Instead of sending troops, can we somehow send education, health care, opportunities, options? How can we strengthen the community to prevent turns to extremism? How can we fight anger and hate without anger and hate?
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