| What would cause a group of men to conspire, with the loss of their own lives, to commit such horrible acts? The targets they chose, I believe, reveal the answer. Although the Capital Building and White House were not struck, it seems quite likely that they were the real targets and the Pentagon was a last minute change. Certainly the plane that went down in rural Pennsylvania (thanks to the heroism of those on board) was headed to one of those two targets. Those targets are symbols of democracy. The other target, the World Trade Center, was the symbol of capitalism. Put another way, the targets were vibrant symbols of political and economic freedom. From these basic freedoms flow basic work in science, economics, theology, agriculture, medicine, mathematics, politics and on and on. Let me use myself to illustrate the idea. In the University no one told me what mathematics to study; I studied what interested me. This is a form of political freedom. I have been a consultant for 25 years. If I do a good job, I am hired and paid; if I don't, I am not. The free marketplace decides. In pursuing both my interests and my economic self interest, a small bit of the world's work gets done. Those policemen and fire fighters in New York were not told to hold those jobs. They chose to have those jobs because they wanted to be policemen and fire fighters and to be paid for doing so (and I am grateful that they did so, they are heroes). Michael Debakey the famous Houston heart surgeon pursued his interests in surgery as well as his own financial self interests to become what he is today and the world is better off because of it. I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the idea. Now let us suppose that you believe that the "truth" is already known as revealed in some holy book; which one doesn't matter. All that needs to be written has already been written. The way religion should be practiced is already known, the way society should function is already known, the way people should dress is already known, the way sex is practiced is already known, men's and women's roles in society is already known, the way to work agriculture is already known, the way people should eat is already known, the people who govern and the way they govern is already known -- everything is already known! Religion is not an adjunct of society, it is the society. It follows that there is no need for political freedom in such a society. What good would it be? There is no need for economic freedom in such a society. A person's role in such a society is already known. Who needs economic self interest? In such a society there is no need to study science, mathematics, psychology, sociology, theology, or any other -ology; everything is already known. The "truth" is known. Such a society is stagnant. Fortunately there are not many societies in our world like the one I describe above. But there are certainly pockets of individuals that would like to move their countries in that direction. In Afghanistan they have succeeded. It is no accident that this country is so poor. It is a stagnant society. It is a lifeless, stark, brooding society. And it is angry that it is. Rather than understand that it has "shot itself in the foot" so to speak, it blames the West for its troubles. It is democracy and capitalism that are to blame for its squalid conditions. In addition, the people who live in the world of democracy and capitalism are the devils. If these fanatic leaders are the only ones who know the "truth," then everyone who does not accept their view of life and religion is a heathen and does not deserve life. We are the unholy ones. Given such a hypothesis it makes perfect sense to attack the prime symbols of capitalism and democracy and, while doing so, kill a large number of the unholy. And that is exactly what they think happened on September 11, 2001. |
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