Terrorism is an act of violence that inflicts pain and suffering, and is destructive to oneself and others.Terrorism induces fear and increases poverty, suffering and loss of life with no apparent gain to anyone.Instead of offering or seeking solutions, terrorism looks to destruction as an answer.In acts of terrorism , human values are lost.
Why do people turn to terrorism?
The first factor is frustation and desperation to achieve a goal.When people are desperate to acheive some goal, and are unable to do it, the desperation brings up violence in them.
The second belief is a non-verifiable concept of merit and heaven.If i die fighting for God, then i will go to heaven, because God wants this act to happen.Who knows? No one can verify this statement.
The third is staunch belief that "my way is the only way"
The fourth is ignoring human values to acheive a goal
and
The fifth is lack of respect or honor for life itself.
Terrorism is based on concept of God as favoring some and being angry at others.This notion undermines the omnipresence and omnipotence of God.How can an omnipresent God exclude some people? How can an omnipotent God be angry?Anger and frustation arise when someone is unable to do something or control something.With this limited idea of God, you become the saviour of God rather than THE SERVANT of God.God is a poor fellow sitting somewhere getting angry, and you are going to help him.
Terrorism fails to recognise that God loves variety and diversity, that many different schools of thoughts exist in this world.Terrorism does not respect or honour life.Terrorism arises when someone identifies himself first and foremost as a member of any particular religion, and then is ready to give up his life for that limited identity. We need to first identify ourselves as a part of the divine, and second to that as human beings.
What is the remedy for terrorism? As long as there is limited understanding, limited wisdom being taught in fundamentalist and fanatical schools, there is no way we can get rid of this terrorism.We have to broaden our vision and educate people in all different religious and
cultural traditions of the world.Religious and spiritual leaders , in particular, should have a broader understanding of cultures and religions. Every mullah, every priest, every rabbi should know something about all other religions.If we learn to broaden our vision and deepen our roots, people will not fall into the narrow idea of the will of God.See life in the broad perspective.
Of course its not just religion that makes people become terrorists, there can be social and political reasons also.
Then value life more than race religion culture.We have to value all human life.
Next educate in the human values of friendliness, compassion, co-operation, a sense of belonging and spirituality.
To define spirituality in simple terms , we can say spirituality nourishes the human values of compassion, love, caring,sharing and acceptance.Spirituality is also finding the way to calm your mind and go deep in your prayers, irrespective of what prayers u do or what religion you follow.It is honouring the values that are found in all religions. And it is concern for the common good of one and all, accomodating the diversity in thought in deed and in behaviour in the world.
Learn how to cope with the stress of life, stress and tension are the root cause of violence.
Have a sense of belongingness to this planet and all its people.
Cultivate confidence in achieving a noble goal in a peaceful nonviolent manner.This confidence
comes from your inner strength.There are many examples for us of people who have done this,Martin Luther King in the North American Continent ,Nelson Mandela in the African Continent, Mahatma Gandhi in the Asian Continent.
And finally, see that only spiritual upliftment can weed out the destructive tendency in the human mind.
do visit www.artofliving.org
www.yesplus.org
www.srisri.org
www.srisriravishankar.com.................. for a stressfreelife
and if any of you happen to have completed minimum ...the part 1 course/yes/yesplus course of artofliving and would want to have more such shares of deeply touching talks by our beloved guruji srisriravishankarji and many such postings by our dear artofliving family members, u may also www.oneworldfamily-aol@yahoogroups.com
Jaigurudev,
love
in seva
nirmit19
