Division as the Root of Conflict

Used with permission from Flickr Creative Commons, and Photopin.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dragonfly1965/5948700943/ (c) dragonflynan1965 2011

This has been a rough week of terrorism for the U.S.A., in a single week we have witnessed the bombing of the Boston Marathon, and the mailing of ricin laden letters to President Obama and Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi. This week was also the 18th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing (04/19/1995).

Those directly effected by the Boston bombing showed tremendous heroism by rushing to the aid of those injured immediately following the attack, and some runners even continued running to the nearest hospital to donate blood… after already running a marathon! The city of Boston as a whole, also seemed to show tremendous resolve and unity during the manhunt for the perpetrators.

However, almost immediately after the news broke about the bombings many people who were not directly effected by the acts seemed to be in a rush to pin the blame on someone. Were the acts done by radical Muslims? Right-wing fundamentalists? North Koreans? Everyone seemed to be in a rush to pin blame on “them”. There seemed to be an intense need to exonerate one’s own group (“us”), as well as justify deep seeded mistrust of “them”. Once it was discovered that foreign born, presumably Muslim, young men had perpetrated the bombing (Perhaps if we add in enough identifiers, each of us can distance ourselves from “them”), I watched on several social network sites, as many people almost gleefully celebrated the exoneration of their group, while armchair quarterbacking appropriate responses and protections.

While it is unknown at this time what exactly triggered the Tsarnaev brothers to commit their act, I can guarantee you at the root of it was division (a classic “us vs. them” conflict). Perhaps they didn’t feel that they fit in to American society, so the entire community composed “them”, perhaps they felt persecuted or marginalized because of their faith or ethnicity, perhaps it was an extension of the Chechnya -Russian conflict. Somewhere, there was an us vs. them mentality at the root. There always is, because regardless of what “group” a terrorist comes from, the us vs. them mentality is the fertile soil that allows the seeds of extremism (darkness) to take root and grow. The division (whether perceived or actual) is necessary for terrorism, because in order to conduct an act of terrorism, you must view your victims as sub-human, or at least deserving of carnage and death, which is not what G*d wants for us, nor is it what human nature dictates. Also, after an act of terrorism, the us vs. them mentality causes friction that prevents true healing.

The division and conflict in our society must stop. Since division naturally breeds mistrust, dissension, and violence, until we as a society change our ways and viewpoints we can continue to expect violence. We must seek to understand different viewpoints, religions, political beliefs, etc., rather than let fear and ignorance morph into division and separation. We must reach out a hand to those who are different than us. We must stop giving credence to those individuals and media outlets that wish to only continually drum up dissension for the sake of followers, ratings, and profit. We must stop looking at other people as “them”, and start looking at society as a whole as a brotherhood of man. Every religion teaches peace and love for our fellow man, and I pray that one day humanity as a whole will buck the historical trend to the contrary.

Practical Tip: Each of us has the power to spread the message of peace, love, and unity. Each day we are given the opportunity to drive out division, or stay quiet and maintain the status quo. Each time we stand up for Truth, we create a ripple within the sea of ignorance, and if enough ripples are created, positive change on a societal level will eventually occur. Work to defeat ignorance, hatred, and darkness with wisdom, love, and Light.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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