Plato Knew Terrorism's Little Secret
Terrorism is violence against the soul, for in reality the terrorists who are morally weak are trying to crack the moral strength or virtue of their victims. The terrorists' "secret" is to not let their weakness be known and to gain power over their superior enemy by strategically dispensing violence to bring about an emotional fear on the victim. They seek to keep their targeted victims in an ongoing state of ominous and impending fear of loss, suffering and death. The more inexperienced their victims are with suffering, sacrifice and loss, then the better advantage they have in trying to transform their victim's moral strength to a fearful weakness. Terrorists know how to hold back physical violence as long as the culture of fear is taking hold, they are winning battles and cheering when their victims give in to these fears. They are gleeful when they see their victims respond in terror: rumors and disinformation leading to paranoia, liberties being seen as liabilities, dissension treated as treason, and otherwise ordered and reasoned means being exchanged for efficient and reckless ones in the name of security. The sad part is that when this is occurring the weak terrorists are gaining their power at little cost, which means those who allow themselves to become terrorized are literally being overpowered at little cost to themselves, in other words, being cowardly.
Within the state of fear the temptations or traps to capture the soul of a person or a community are far more effective. The desired affect of terrorism is to quietly wear away the victim's virtue (or moral strength) until the state of fear has mastered the victim. In such a case, fear serves like slowly heating water in a pot that contains a frog, where the frog sits unaware of the water's growing power over him. Too much heat (or actual violence) and the whole thing can be undone. Therefore terrorists adept at their craft are masters of suspense, timing and strategy. Ironically any actual acts of physical violence runs the risk of undoing this fear and to actually morally strengthen the victimized as they gain knowledge of what it means to suffer and experience loss, that is if they don't continue to give into an even more vengeful fear (the dangerous form of anger).
How could the actual experience of loss and suffering undo the fear of the loss and suffering? Frequently, the fear can be far worse than the reality itself. Torture techniques (used to seek something rather than some perverted joy) are most effective when done to break the spirit more than the body, and 'professional' torturers know that real physical pain applied too soon or too much may reveal a hidden strength to the victim whereas the threat of torture or violence such as mock executions are far more effective in weakening the victim. One's imagination can be far more terrifying then reality, and as a result the knowledge and experience of reality strengthens one's virtue. The more virtuous the victim, the more patient and clever the torturers need to be in order to find gaps in their victim's knowledge that they can exploit.
Plato and John Chrysostom argued 'that no one can harm the man who does not injure himself'. Their premise being that a person's value is in their holding on to virtue and not in holding possessions or socio-economic status. For these things can be taken away without one's consent, but one must consent to give up his or her virtue. A classic image of this truth is Job from the bible; who stripped of family, wealth and personal health, for which he sincerely enjoyed as gifts, realized he had one deeper gift that only he could choose to keep or lose. While Job's enemy took from him everything he could without Job's consent, the one thing the enemy truly sought was what only Job could choose to give him. But Job knew that it was of no good for a man to exchange this one thing for all that he had formerly possessed. For what good was it to gain the whole world, and yet forfeit his soul. For then he would have neither in the end.
Reacting out of fear that one may suffer or lose something, and not in the strength of virtue, is to hand over to the enemy the one thing they cannot have without their victim's willingness to let go of it. And eventually the temporal safety, peace and security sought in exchange for one's soul will eventually be lost or taken away again. Sadly, this virtuous soul was the only thing worth living and dying for, because through it one gained true meaning and purpose for living. For the battle is not about the flesh, but over the soul. And for those who eyes to perceive the Truth, this is the one battle that can be won.
Is terrorism's little secret working on you? Are you wearing away or growing in moral strength?
Plato: Anti-terrorist leader?
Terrorism is violence against the soul, for in reality the terrorists who are morally weak are trying to crack the moral strength or virtue of their victims. The terrorists' "secret" is to not let their weakness be known and to gain power over their superior enemy by strategically dispensing violence to bring about an emotional fear on the victim. They seek to keep their targeted victims in an ongoing state of ominous and impending fear of loss, suffering and death. The more inexperienced their victims are with suffering, sacrifice and loss, then the better advantage they have in trying to transform their victim's moral strength to a fearful weakness. Terrorists know how to hold back physical violence as long as the culture of fear is taking hold, they are winning battles and cheering when their victims give in to these fears. They are gleeful when they see their victims respond in terror: rumors and disinformation leading to paranoia, liberties being seen as liabilities, dissension treated as treason, and otherwise ordered and reasoned means being exchanged for efficient and reckless ones in the name of security. The sad part is that when this is occurring the weak terrorists are gaining their power at little cost, which means those who allow themselves to become terrorized are literally being overpowered at little cost to themselves, in other words, being cowardly.
Within the state of fear the temptations or traps to capture the soul of a person or a community are far more effective. The desired affect of terrorism is to quietly wear away the victim's virtue (or moral strength) until the state of fear has mastered the victim. In such a case, fear serves like slowly heating water in a pot that contains a frog, where the frog sits unaware of the water's growing power over him. Too much heat (or actual violence) and the whole thing can be undone. Therefore terrorists adept at their craft are masters of suspense, timing and strategy. Ironically any actual acts of physical violence runs the risk of undoing this fear and to actually morally strengthen the victimized as they gain knowledge of what it means to suffer and experience loss, that is if they don't continue to give into an even more vengeful fear (the dangerous form of anger).
How could the actual experience of loss and suffering undo the fear of the loss and suffering? Frequently, the fear can be far worse than the reality itself. Torture techniques (used to seek something rather than some perverted joy) are most effective when done to break the spirit more than the body, and 'professional' torturers know that real physical pain applied too soon or too much may reveal a hidden strength to the victim whereas the threat of torture or violence such as mock executions are far more effective in weakening the victim. One's imagination can be far more terrifying then reality, and as a result the knowledge and experience of reality strengthens one's virtue. The more virtuous the victim, the more patient and clever the torturers need to be in order to find gaps in their victim's knowledge that they can exploit.
Plato and John Chrysostom argued 'that no one can harm the man who does not injure himself'. Their premise being that a person's value is in their holding on to virtue and not in holding possessions or socio-economic status. For these things can be taken away without one's consent, but one must consent to give up his or her virtue. A classic image of this truth is Job from the bible; who stripped of family, wealth and personal health, for which he sincerely enjoyed as gifts, realized he had one deeper gift that only he could choose to keep or lose. While Job's enemy took from him everything he could without Job's consent, the one thing the enemy truly sought was what only Job could choose to give him. But Job knew that it was of no good for a man to exchange this one thing for all that he had formerly possessed. For what good was it to gain the whole world, and yet forfeit his soul. For then he would have neither in the end.
Reacting out of fear that one may suffer or lose something, and not in the strength of virtue, is to hand over to the enemy the one thing they cannot have without their victim's willingness to let go of it. And eventually the temporal safety, peace and security sought in exchange for one's soul will eventually be lost or taken away again. Sadly, this virtuous soul was the only thing worth living and dying for, because through it one gained true meaning and purpose for living. For the battle is not about the flesh, but over the soul. And for those who eyes to perceive the Truth, this is the one battle that can be won.
Is terrorism's little secret working on you? Are you wearing away or growing in moral strength?
posted by Pepper | 12:41 AM
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