George Graham

Putting Things in Perspective

nice

 

In the wake of the horror in Nice, what Donald Trump decides to do about a running mate seems completely inconsequential. The sheer monstrosity of the terrorist attack diminishes any concerns we might have about domestic politics today.

The human society is coming apart at the seams, that’s what matters.

Human beings are losing their humanity.

Trump and his ilk, bone-headed creatures that they are, are predictably  screaming for more violence as a cure for the violence of the terrorists. But throughout history violence has reliably produced one consequence – more violence.

Let’s say we do what our emotions tell us to do – blacken the sky over the Caliphate with our war planes and rain down bombs upon the population twenty-four, seven.

Let’s say we leave not one stone standing upon another, not one living creature, not a trace of ISIS in the charred wreckage they once ruled.

What do you imagine would happen then?

Do you think the hatred of Western society would be abated? Or do you think it would be increased a hundredfold?

Yes, you know as well as I do that for every terrorist we kill, hundreds more would be created. Violence does not kill hate; it breeds more hate.

The war we are fighting today is being waged in the hearts of those who – fairly or unfairly – resent our civilization. The attacker in Nice will surely turn out to be some sorry specimen who felt mistreated and marginalized, an Algerian immigrant perhaps.

As long as our society shuts out some individuals, as long as they are denied normal human interaction and the possibility of attaining equal status in our community, the bad seed will proliferate and instigators like ISIS will flourish.

But none of the existing institutions seem to recognize this simple fact of life.

You might think the churches would provide safe haven for the shunned and disregarded, but they are more often prime agents of division and conflict.

It seems to me that Western society should be looking inward for the cure to terrorism, not seeking new and counterproductive ways to further antagonize those who fear, distrust and despise us.

The Nice terror attack

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com