The Word B

we had two friends over for dinner the other night. it was a fun, wonderful evening. at one point the conversation turned towards the topic of terrorism. last week the australian emabassy in jakarta, had a bomb go off in front of the building. nine people were killed. i think all of them were indonesian, all innocent bystanders. the discussion quickly degenerated to referring to the terrorists as animals with no morals and simply pathetic in their actions etc. i sat quietly listening to what our guest was saying on the subject. i then posed this question to her, instead of wondering how anyone could do such a thing- suicide bombings, killing of school children, blowing up passenger jets, etc., because these acts have happened and continue to happen, we instead need to ask ourselves and our community, what has caused people to feel so desperate, that they have resorted to terrorism? why has destroying themselves and the people around them become their only platform to speak out? ever since the world trade center in new york city was blown up in 2001, people have been asking why? when they should be asking, how come?
i also feel that if we really want to create a world where this type of terrorist action does not exist, we must change our attitudes from reactive to more proactive. ask yourself, what can you do to create a healthier world around you? or what have you done to create this unhealthy world we live in, and how can we change it for the better? let's face it, it is a very difficult and challenging prospect to address, and more convenient to ignore as long as it happens to someone else. but when that bomb blows up in your face, who is going to object then? you'll be dead, and your time to speak out and make a change will be over.