We all try to understand what motivates a man or woman to blow themselves up killing innocent people. We try but we simply cannot reason it or explain it. These acts are beyond all human behavior and beyond our collective understanding of human nature. Travel on the metro, travel on an over ground train, take a plane here or anywhere in the world and you look at others with fear and suspicion. Stand on a metro train carriage and find yourself scanning your fellow passengers for signs of terrorist ambition. The stereotypical man, with dark skin and heavy coat padding, the angry looking crazy woman who stands at the end of the carriage, the man with a heavy backpack, all are potential bombers in our fearful imagination. We stand on the escalator looking at our fellow passengers moving up and down the station, we wait to reach the bottom to get off and escape to our train and escape from harms way. People bury their faces in a book, newspaper or Kindle to block off their surroundings.
Terrorism makes us nervous and suspicious of others. It creates fear, paranoia and mistrust amongst our fellow human beings when we should have empathy, respect and kindness for others. If you let it get to you, all travel can be terrifying, a Russian roulette with our lives. It goes without saying, that it is extremely unpleasant and wrong. This is what the 'terrorist' wants, or at least that what we think they want. We are not so sure they have an objective, other than mindless killing. Perhaps the only safe place to live is the countryside? Life without public transport in any city would be impossible for us all. They have us where they want us, we are under their control, as they sit cross legged on the floor, in a dirty dark flat, hundreds of kilometers away somewhere from here, playing with electric wires and explosives after praying to a god we don't understand or follow, planning their next mass kill.
Terrorists, genuinely believe, that by killing hundreds of people on a yearly basis, by suicide, they will actually make world powers give them what they demand. They are delusional. The world is now on a ticking clock. Our fates are controlled by an unseen evil hand, it is not nature that will decide our future or our past but mankind that will decide if we live or die, man is more dangerous now than ever before. The world is sinking further into a dark abyss of madness. Someone throw it a life line and save it before its too late. These are dark times and now for the first time since moving to Russia, I really struggle to find any humor to lighten this situation.
Further reading: The story of the path to terror and fanaticism can be found here
Terrorism is horryfying but in reality you re far mor likely to die in a car accident than in a terror attack. Just compare how many Russians (or Muscovites) die yearly in traffic accidents compared to terror victims.
ReplyDeletenawojka there is a flaw in your argument. A car crash is accidental and may kill 2 or more people in the worst case! A terrorist bomb may kill 20 to 100 people and is planned and likely. I agree a car accident if you travel by car is more likely but a bomb in Moscow or anywhere, is now very likely than ever before.
ReplyDeleteTerrorism frightens people, but not very long. We tend to forget about every thing which has ever happened. A year ago I was on Lubjanka station next day after the explosion. It was hard to stay there, everyone were crying, sombre and nervous. When I unfasten my jacket in train because it was hot, several people nearby me looked at me very anxiously. But time has passed and now no one remembers about this accident, only victim's relatives. You know, there has been a lot explosions in Russia since 90-s, we are just accustomed to this. There is a real war in Caucasus, but majority of people don't bother to worry about this. It's sad, but it's the true. Don't be afraid of this, as Nawojka sad, you should be very unlucky to be in the same place with bomb. And that "crazy woman in train" could be just very tired or upset woman.
ReplyDeleteTerrorism frightens people, but not very long. We tend to forget about every thing which has ever happened. A year ago I was on Lubjanka station next day after the explosion. It was hard to stay there, everyone were crying, sombre and nervous. When I unfasten my jacket in train because it was hot, several people nearby me looked at me very anxiously. But time has passed and now no one remembers about this accident, only victim's relatives. You know, there has been a lot explosions in Russia since 90-s, we are just accustomed to this. There is a real war in Caucasus, but majority of people don't bother to worry about this. It's sad, but it's the true. Don't be afraid of this, as Nawojka sad, you should be very unlucky to be in the same place with bomb. And that "crazy woman in train" could be just very tired or upset woman.
ReplyDelete