We are the baby boomers, the children of the greatest generation. Our parents , for the most part, have left us now, gone to their reward. Many of us believe we will do the same. That is , go to our reward. Fewer of our children believe that and fewer still the grandchildren. The narrative has changed in America and it saddens me deeply. Religion and the belief in a life everlasting has fallen down in the conversation, almost as an afterthought. Belief is imploding upon itself in the name of progress. Inaction is becoming the response. The cries for help are not directed to our God, but rather to our government. And what promise does the government offer in return ? A temporary and transient existence at best. An existence dependent upon the charity of others and the tax system. Immediate needs are the priority with no thought for the future. Life has become a disposable commodity. One and done ! I have been witness to this degradation in society, this crumbling and decay. I feel shame for my shortcomings. Too long have I lingered in self doubt. Too long have I embraced the material. By opposing nothing, under the guise of tolerance and understanding, I have contributed to this erosion of faith. Faith is learned through example, faith requires following. Faith is learned in silence, not in shouts.
The preceding rather depressing paragraph was inspired by the events in Belgium. They were committed by young people misled, misguided and maligned. And who is behind this ? The children of the greatest generation ? Yes, that is truth for the greatest generation didn't just live in America, They were not all Americans. The greatest generation was a time frame in history. A time in the world when beliefs were enforced and defended, for the better or worse. Yes, mistakes were made, terrible mistakes and atrocities occurred. An entire generation was affected, that is why it was a world war. And now I am witness to events that may indeed precede another such conflict. The only difference being in the ideology of that war. Jihad, defined by the Muslim community as " the struggle " has two meanings. The first meaning according to their scholars was that "the struggle" speaks to the internal struggle for truth. The second meaning, the one the western world is very familiar with, is the struggle against the non-believers, the fight against the infidels. Which is correct ? That hinges upon belief does it not ?
Wars are fought for dominance. That is the only reason for them. This " war on terror " is also a war for dominance. The Muslims call it Sharia Law and it is government of the people through a religious doctrine. The authority for the enforcement of those laws are contained in their holy book, the Koran. The war is an effort to defeat this belief system, without admitting that is what is being done. The narrative is that only a small percentage of the population that reads and follows that text actually believe it. Or, at the very least practice its' tenets. Just as we are seeing a lack of belief in America they are experiencing a revival of sorts. The "war on terror" is the effort to suppress this resurgence of fundamentalist teaching. The fundamentalists are the terrorists. Now they are labeled " radicals " but that wasn't always the case. There have been periods in history when the Muslims were dominate. They were dominate for almost four hundred years and the crusades were a response to that. A war to regain dominance, and the Christians were successful. The reality is it was all based on commerce, just as it is today. Wars are fueled by perceptions and belief but take money to finance. The real way to "win the war" is to cut off funding of that war. This " war " we are waging now is low budget, hence the " terror " attacks. We had best figure something out fast before the big money guys get involved. Determine who is profiting from this current situation and you will know what needs to be done.
Remember World War One began as a result of the assignation of Arch Duke Ferninand . Who will be killed to begin this war ? It is only a matter of time and circumstance. All that is lacking is a definitive target. Were a single nation to be identified as the culprit the war would have been fought and settled by now. The problem is we are fighting a belief. It is like fighting a shadow. The only way to defeat it is to bring it into the light ! Until we admit that, and accept that, the fight continues.
Once again I have found myself typing away without having any real sense of where I am going with this. It is a troubling thing and I seek the answers. We live in troubling times but I am equally certain each generation before me has said the same. Hopefully some of you reading this narrative will get something out of it. Somehow I feel just a little bit responsible, like I am somehow complicit in all of this.
The preceding rather depressing paragraph was inspired by the events in Belgium. They were committed by young people misled, misguided and maligned. And who is behind this ? The children of the greatest generation ? Yes, that is truth for the greatest generation didn't just live in America, They were not all Americans. The greatest generation was a time frame in history. A time in the world when beliefs were enforced and defended, for the better or worse. Yes, mistakes were made, terrible mistakes and atrocities occurred. An entire generation was affected, that is why it was a world war. And now I am witness to events that may indeed precede another such conflict. The only difference being in the ideology of that war. Jihad, defined by the Muslim community as " the struggle " has two meanings. The first meaning according to their scholars was that "the struggle" speaks to the internal struggle for truth. The second meaning, the one the western world is very familiar with, is the struggle against the non-believers, the fight against the infidels. Which is correct ? That hinges upon belief does it not ?
Wars are fought for dominance. That is the only reason for them. This " war on terror " is also a war for dominance. The Muslims call it Sharia Law and it is government of the people through a religious doctrine. The authority for the enforcement of those laws are contained in their holy book, the Koran. The war is an effort to defeat this belief system, without admitting that is what is being done. The narrative is that only a small percentage of the population that reads and follows that text actually believe it. Or, at the very least practice its' tenets. Just as we are seeing a lack of belief in America they are experiencing a revival of sorts. The "war on terror" is the effort to suppress this resurgence of fundamentalist teaching. The fundamentalists are the terrorists. Now they are labeled " radicals " but that wasn't always the case. There have been periods in history when the Muslims were dominate. They were dominate for almost four hundred years and the crusades were a response to that. A war to regain dominance, and the Christians were successful. The reality is it was all based on commerce, just as it is today. Wars are fueled by perceptions and belief but take money to finance. The real way to "win the war" is to cut off funding of that war. This " war " we are waging now is low budget, hence the " terror " attacks. We had best figure something out fast before the big money guys get involved. Determine who is profiting from this current situation and you will know what needs to be done.
Remember World War One began as a result of the assignation of Arch Duke Ferninand . Who will be killed to begin this war ? It is only a matter of time and circumstance. All that is lacking is a definitive target. Were a single nation to be identified as the culprit the war would have been fought and settled by now. The problem is we are fighting a belief. It is like fighting a shadow. The only way to defeat it is to bring it into the light ! Until we admit that, and accept that, the fight continues.
Once again I have found myself typing away without having any real sense of where I am going with this. It is a troubling thing and I seek the answers. We live in troubling times but I am equally certain each generation before me has said the same. Hopefully some of you reading this narrative will get something out of it. Somehow I feel just a little bit responsible, like I am somehow complicit in all of this.
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