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Deterrence, Not RevengeNew York City, September 24, 2001The following message from "New Age" guru Gary Zukav found its way into my inbox about 10 days ago, in the wake of the terrorist attack against the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon."The terror in New York and Washington forces you to choose your reaction consciously or unconsciously. The violence that we saw today was the consequence of unconscious choices -- choices driven by pain, fear, and desperation. "Who among us has not experienced pain, fear and desperation? Who among us will not experience them in the future? The question of whether they will determine your responses to the circumstances of your life, no matter how painful, is critical, because your future depends upon it. "The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are occasions of great significance. They are opportunities for you to feel inside, to find those parts of yourself that are in fear, and to make the decision to move forward in your life without fear. "That is the challenge for each individual on this planet today. The pursuit of external power - the ability to manipulate and control - creates only violence and destruction. The painful events in New York and Washington are living examples of that reality. "The causal chain that created this violence is one in which compassion and wisdom are absent. Are wisdom and compassion present in you as you watch the television, and read the papers? It is important to realize that you do not know all that came to conclusion, or into karmic balance, as a result of these events. Because you are not able to know all that can be known about them, you are not in a position to judge them. "When you are able to look at the events of the Earth School from this perspective, you will see clearly the central importance of the role that you play in it. That role is this: It is for you to decide what you will contribute to this world. Many will be asking your opinion of these events. "Each question is an opportunity for you to contribute to the love that is in the world or to the fear that is in the world. This is the same opportunity that presents itself to you at each moment. "If you hate those who hate, you become like them. You add to the violence and the destructive energy that now fills our world. As you make the decision to see with clarity and compassion, you will see that those who committed these acts of violence were in extreme pain themselves, and that they were fueled by the violent parts of ourselves - the parts that judge without mercy, strike in anger, and rejoice in the suffering of others. "They were our proxy representatives. If you can look with compassion upon those who have suffered and those who have committed acts of cruelty alike, then you will see that all are suffering. The remedy for suffering is not to inflict more suffering. "This is an opportunity for a massive expression of compassion. It is also an opportunity for a massive expression of revenge. Which world do you intend to live in -- a world of revenge or a world of compassion?" I'm all for Americans not giving in to hate. Hate makes an individual blind with rage. It clouds our senses, as we allow adrenalin and anger to govern our actions rather than logic, or even better, true wisdom (which in my experience requires the marriage of both mind and heart, the archetypal male and female components within each of us). However, Zukav's letter contains several very troubling passages. For instance, he writes: "It is important to realize that you do not know all that came to conclusion, or into karmic balance, as a result of these events. Because you are not able to know all that can be known about them, you are not in a position to judge them." The implications of Zukav's position here on political institutions such as the legal system are profound. For instance, he seems to be arguing that no one (other than perhaps him, see my later point) should ever put himself or herself in the position to judge a person who has committed a potentially criminal act. He refers to a process of arriving at karmic balance (which, for those of you who might be unfamiliar with the phrase, would indicate that somehow the victim is responsible for inciting the acts done to them, as a kind of retribution or lesson). The implications of Zukav's plea on our legal system, not to mention the conduct of nation-states, are mind-boggling. He is a sociopaths' dream juror, someone who appears from his statement completely unwilling to take responsibility for establishing the kind of well-defined rules of conduct that permit individuals (as well as nations) to pursue secure and orderly existences -- without which any semblance of creativity and choice is impossible. And while he will never be accused of giving into hate, I strongly suspect that a charge having left his brain at the door certainly would stick among a jury of functional adult Americans. His reference to karmic balance is quite significant in another sense. By encouraging America not respond to the events of September 11th, Zukav is suggesting that he believes that balance has already been arrived at in the situation, perhaps in response to an unconscious belief of alleged American misdeeds in the past. Of course, the opposite could also be true - that is, that the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon may amount to the end-stage of a situation in which Osama Bin Laden, his sect, and other like minded terrorists, have utterly stepped off the proverbial end of a cliff; and, this final, awful provocation could become the vehicle for completely discrediting their ultra-reactionary ideas and ideals. Only time will tell. But one can only imagine what Zukav might have written in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, or the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, or Neville Chamberlain's quixotic efforts at Munich in 1938. This is new age babble at its absolute worst. Zukav also has the following to say: Zukav also has the following to say: "The pursuit of external power - the ability to manipulate and control - creates only violence and destruction. The painful events in New York and Washington are living examples of that reality." He makes a valid point, but I suspect it is not the point he expects. It is these ultra-conservative Islamic fundamentalists who are obsessed with power, and seeking to manipulate and control the political environment of the Middle East. Putting aside their obvious sociopath tendencies, their hatred of the U.S. has everything to do with a desire to impose their comic book version of Islam on every moderate Arab state in the region, their resentment at our military bases in Saudi Arabia (which were established at the request of the Saudis), the impact of American culture on the Arab world, and our continued support of Israel. Clearly, power has everything to do with what's going on here. But unfortunately, Zukav is so invested in his airy fantasy of divine love that he would have us submit to terrorist manipulation, and in the process, abandon willing allies in the region such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Israel. But perhaps I'm being unfair in expecting Zukav to demonstrate an understanding of the geopolitical dimensions of Earth School. Zukav closes with the following appalling assertion: Zukav closes with the following appalling assertion: "As you make the decision to see with clarity and compassion, you will see that those who committed these acts of violence were in extreme pain themselves, and that they were fueled by the violent parts of ourselves - the parts that judge without mercy, strike in anger, and rejoice in the suffering of others." Zukav here is essentially blaming the victims, their loved ones and the American people for the actions of a group of suicidal, obviously mentally-ill, religious zealots. It is the height of spiritual arrogance for Zukav to presume that he has even a hint of what the cosmic origin is. He additionally ignores his responsibility to inform the reader that his theory of unconscious cause-and-effect (which was no more than an elegant idea even when Jung first proposed it) is just that, a theory, with no even vaguely empirical data to support it. Also, notice the curious lack of balance. He fails to speculate, for instance, whether the terrorists had the ability to exercise free will in choosing to deliberately murder innocent civilians (among which were 500 fellow Muslims). I suspect that those regular appearances on Oprah, and a best selling book, can make a person more than a little full of themselves. But, if I ever decide to murder someone, and am brought to trial, I absolutely want Zukav on my jury. In my opinion, the real crisis that the recent terrorist attack highlights is centered around the implications of fundamentalist theology in a modern, pluralistic world. For instance, Jerry Falwell, one of the champions of the American strain (and I am sorely tempted to type "stain") of fundamentalism had the following to say in the aftermath of the bombings: “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen." Reverend Falwell, thank you for sharing words of such comfort and healing in this time of great sadness. Now, isn't it time you called your therapist, and scheduled several years of daily appointments? In my opinion, people like Bin Laden and Falwell are completely against anything they either don't understand, or that compels them to reconsider the validity of their own incredibly rigid (and self-serving) positions about god, faith, sexuality and a possible human future. While they may not be clinically insane (in the sense that a psychiatrist would use to describe a patient), they exhibit a sickness of heart that is as dangerous to our world as anything I can begin to imagine. Ironically, were they given the kind of ideological control they crave (and don't believe for a moment that Falwell and his like don't secretly crave the same sort of influence that the Imans of Iran, and the Taliban, have exercised since their respective revolutions), Zukav and his ilk would be among the first thrown into a re-education camp. The issues surrounding the crisis in the Middle East are amazingly dense, and no single analysis or approach can do justice to isolating their origins. But what is crystal clear is that the specter of old-fashioned patriarchal power looms over everything at the present moment. To the Imans of Iran, the Taliban, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, or Bin Laden, being completely in control over the actions of others (and especially women) is very much the endpoint of the game being played. Going forward, America, NATO, and their allies in this struggle against terrorism, must do an extraordinary job of detective work in putting together all the pieces of this crime, and in publicly presenting their case before the world -- thus insuring that their actions are perceived as fair and reasonable. They should look beyond the current crisis, and in discussions including the U.S., E.U., Japan, and the prosperous Persian Gulf oil producing states, consider potential economic solutions that might give the suffering people of the region greater reason to live -- and fewer reasons to die in the cause of hate and religious insanity. They must avoid the loss of innocent human life wherever possible (and consequently avoid inspiring, as best they can, the next generation of would-be fundamentalist martyrs), even if that means waiting many months, or even years, before striking back. They should even first invite Bin Laden and his worldwide terrorist network to give themselves up, and stand trial in the Hague - where they can present whatever defense they choose for their despicable actions -- in order to go as far as anyone can to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. The goal should be not be revenge, but deterrence in the defense of liberty, individual self-determination, spiritual diversity and cultural evolution. But contrary to the pleas of love-drunk apologists like Zukav, the coalition must absolutely hold the cowardly men who committed these terrorist acts, and anyone found aiding and abetting them, fully responsible for their actions in the realm of space and time. Those who are obsessed by absolute power over others (as are these ultra-fundamentalists), and are willing to commit heinous acts against innocent civilians to acquire it, only understand superior power as an argument for the cessation of their dubious and unholy 'jihad'. Furthermore, we need to be both resolute and completely realistic. Even if we act with great delicacy and skill in carrying out this effort, there will be others who will seek to take their place -- as decades of hatred probably have a ways to go until their fires are completely extinguished. On the other hand, I suspect that there are millions of women, both alive today and yet to be born, in places like Afghanistan and Iran, that are secretly rooting that we teach these patriarchal bullies a lesson that they very much need to learn. In the future, power will be expressed in both masculine and feminine modalities. Fear of the feminine is absolutely no excuse for religious despotism and murder. Matthew Carnicelli, © 2001. All rights reserved. |