In a recent sermon, Jim Lawton, pastor of the C3 Center for Spiritual in
Think of air travel in a larger perspective. In the past decade there have been three terrorist related incidents on US airplanes. Most of them failed or were foiled by other passengers. In the same period of time, according to the Bureau of Transport Statistics, there have been 99,320,309 commercial airline departures that either originated or landed within the
Do you feel safer on a plane, knowing that there is a rigorous security regimen? Maybe. But at what cost? Are you prepared to sacrifice liberty for security, even though liberty may be your greatest security? And while so much focus is on air travel, what other security threats are being ignored? Now relate the same issue to the belief in the afterlife. To the extent that a belief in the afterlife offers security, it may just as easily rob you of the liberty to live without guilt and pretense, fully in the present.[1]
Violence alone will never end terrorism. Not only do security measures frequently infringe on human liberty, security measures also often represent capitulating to terrorists. Terrorists strive to instill fear, terror, in those attacked. The vast sums of money and countless hours and lives expended on security measures within the U.S., the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and other, less visible initiatives all represent costs that the 9/11 terrorists inflicted on the U.S. Surely, some proportion of the security measures makes sense; some military operations have directly reduced the terrorist threat. What proportion? Half? Two-thirds? One-third?
Courage is an essential element of responding to terror. Courageously going about one’s daily business, accepting that life is inherently risky, defeats those who seek to make people cower with fear. Several years ago, an Israeli tour guide talked about his young daughter riding a bus along the very street we were then traveling. She had bent over, perhaps to tie a shoe or pick up something she dropped, when a bomb exploded aboard the bus. Although spattered with blood, she was uninjured. The next day, she was again traveling the same bus route, going to and from school on her own. That is courage. That is refusing to allow terrorists to win.
Ironically, many
[1] Ian Lawton, “Soul Plane- Jet Lag of the Unconscious,” Sermon preached at C3 Center for Spiritual Growth, January 10, 2010.
1 comments:
Terrorism is the cheapest way to win wars. You don't have to get a country to surrender, although in reality they have, you just make them afraid to go out of the home. There are so many ways to defeat a country by using simple tools and techniques.
The bottom line is Americans feel the more we spend the safer we are, regardless of the inconveniences we must endure. Any congressman only has to mention national safety, support the troops,patriotism, for the children, and finally the saving of Christianity and they can be reelected. So why not use these slogans on willing Americans.
The 9/11 story seems like a formidable task to make it work. Actually, it cost very little and they could have covertly accomplished as much by buying a computer flight simulator and practicing the flying skills needed to do the job. Everything else just required the hostages to feel they are safe if they do nothing. But as a result of this tragedy, we feel that we need billions more to protect ourselves. All it takes is a few people willing to get involved and those disasters could have been prevented.
I too have read that when an attack goes on in Israel, everyone goes out into the street or goes shopping. Just remember in the Gulf War the people going to a concert wearing gas masks.
Could Americans do this? I think not as we are too superior and arrogant to think that we are not protected. The government and the military will protect us.
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