Sometimes it seems as though the world has gone crazy, and maybe it has. American journalists are getting decapitated. The Islamic State is crucifying and beheading thousands of people including children. There are riots in St. Louis. Our southern border is so porous that children have poured across from Mexico and Central America. The President has delayed blanket amnesty until after the next election. There are rumors of terrorist attacks on US soil as we approach 9/11.
Ebola is killing thousands and threatens to become an epidemic. Boko Haram continues kidnapping young girls who try to get an education and selling them as sex slaves. The violence in Chicago continues on a weekly basis. Russia and Ukraine and Israel and the Palestinians are taking a short break before the next round of violence. The war in Syria continues.
There is a lot of anger. Everyone feels a need to defend their position. The Israelis and Palestinians both think they occupy the high moral ground, as do the Russians and Ukrainians. The Muslims are on a mission from God (excuse me, Allah) and they are somehow convinced that what they are doing is righteous. The protesters in Ferguson are fighting a battle against perceived injustice. The other side just sees looters and thugs trying to defend a gang thief who bum rushed a cop.
It seems that whatever we are trying isn’t working. Not on a local level, not on a national level, and not on a world level. We really do need to try something different. We really do need a different paradigm. Appeasement does not work, and neither does authoritarian heavy handedness. The hawks would have us go into every new crisis with guns blazing, kicking ass and taking names. Others would have us give in to every demand and use peace signs and flowers to win over the people looting stores or beheading children.
It seems in most of these situations there are some valid points on each side, mixed up with some seriously dysfunctional thinking and unacceptable behavior. Sorting it all out is a daunting task. Throwing a moderate, middle of the road blanket on things is equally foolish and ineffective. Opportunists seem to be everywhere, and they are often the loudest voices. They see a chance to get something they want and they want to manipulate the situation to their advantage.
So, we are faced with a bunch of really hard issues and complex, nuanced situations and we would really just like to ignore them all (and go play golf) but we absolutely must deal with them. Now. We would really like to simplify them and take a side and be done with it but we know that is wrong. Not all cops are corrupt or racist and not all young black men are thugs and gang members. Not every Muslim is a terrorist but many are.
Great, so we have outlined the problem. The world has gone nuts and there is no hope of a solution. Well, not quite. I do think there is hope and I do think we can find solutions to the problems we face. Let me take a stab at offering some ideas that might help.
Seek First To Understand I am not going to tell anyone that they should accept the point of view of a violent thug. But I will suggest that there is value in understanding it. If people are that angry we should probably stop and examine why. What causes someone to think they have a right to steal from others or take a life or torture or kidnap or degrade other people? Sometimes it is religion. Sometimes it is fear or hopelessness or anger or bitterness caused by injustice.
The anger may cause someone to act inappropriately but the reason for the anger may be valid. Sometimes people are faced with injustice and oppression and lack of opportunity that are valid concerns. Along comes someone who shows empathy for their situation and offers to help. They see an ally and a chance to escape their circumstances and they feel empowered.
Gangs offer protection and power and a sense of belonging to young men in Chicago. ISIS and Hamas and drug cartels can offer the same thing. If we do not take the time to understand the motivations we will never formulate a truly effective solution. Again, this does not mean condoning bad behavior. It means understanding what you face, knowing your enemy.
Some of the most violent Islamic extremists are fighting against what they see as western immorality. They look at our culture and see a lack of morality as mostly naked pop stars like Miley and Beyoncé twerk across a stage. Their solutions may be out of line but their fear of the immorality of western culture is not entirely misplaced.
Understanding will also give you a weapon for diffusing the problem. If you acknowledge and address the original injustice you take away some of the power of the gang. Plus, fixing the underlying problem is probably the right thing to do. It may take time but providing education and economic opportunity and positive role models is the right thing to do anyway.
Defend Principles, not Issues or GroupsWhen we stick to basic principles like liberty and truth and fairness we can win people over. When we always advocate for a certain group we lose credibility (see: Sharpton). When you automatically stick up for the cops, before you know the facts, it reinforces the perception that you are not interested in the facts. It reinforces the stereotype that “you people” will all stick together and so “we” need to stick together too.
Before you can defend your basic principles you have to know what they are. The concepts of freedom of speech and religion, and the sanctity of life, property rights, and the notion that all men are created equal are not very ambiguous. If you believe in freedom of speech it does not matter if you agree with the speech or not. Freedom of religion applies to all faiths. If you defend private property then you do so for everyone.
Having clear principles allows you to understand that you should stop the vandalism and looting but leave the protesters alone. And if your religion or politics conflict with your principles you should question your religion or your politics because something is wrong. If all life is sacred and people have the right to practice the religion of their choice then you should not cut off the heads of children who do not share your faith.
Evil Must Be Confronted. Killing innocent people is wrong, and we cannot ignore it. It must be addressed and prevented, and the same with stealing and rape and kidnapping. And evil must be met with force if it is to be defeated. We should use the minimum force necessary, but it is naïve to think that we can avoid using violence when dealing with violent people. We can try talking and negotiating if possible, but there comes a point where we must act. The Israelis cannot continue to let missiles be fired into their country. The police must use force to prevent looting. And we cannot sit by and watch journalists get decapitated and children murdered without acting.
Americans took up arms against the British King when they could no longer endure the tyranny of the crown. The world united to oppose Hitler. Evil does not shrink away on its own. We must not go to war without a plan. We need clear goals and a strategy and a well-defined end game, and we cannot make the world a perfect place. But our principles require that we stand up for what is right and oppose evil in the world.
Fix Your Own Back Yard. The place to start changing the world is by fixing yourself, and your family, and your neighborhood. We may not all be able to personally confront ISIS but we can go talk to the people of North St. Louis. We can attend school board and PTA meetings. We can run for alderman or county council.
Be Engaged. Most people are not involved in solving the problems we face. They feel powerless and don’t need the stress. Most people don’t vote and don’t want to discuss anything controversial. They turn off the news and bury their head in the sand.
The people of North St. Louis don’t trust their leaders but only 13% of them voted in the last election.
It is true that we do not need to spend our lives stressed out about things we have little or no control over, but we must stay informed and give thought to issues confronting us all. I realize that part of what turns people off is listening to people who advocate for their group or issue rather than principles. Those discussions degenerate into name calling and stupid arguments that do not advance anything.
There are a lot of scary things going on in the world. They are complex and it will not be easy or quick or simple to fix them. But we can make progress if we start doing the right things. We can change the paradigm. We just need to start in our backyard and get engaged. We must seek to understand the root of the problems and stick to our principles. And we have to stand up to evil in the form of bullies and thugs.
We can do this. We can make a difference. We just need to get up off the couch and get involved.
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