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The really, really bad guys
We humans have a dismaying tendency to force reality into a narrative to make sense of it. Today's most popular LJ narrative includes as Bad Guys the Bush/Republican Party forces and right-wing religious types here in the US. But for a little perspective, contemplate the small differences between the polarized sides of the US debate compared to the huge gulf that separates us from the "fundamentalist" (really reactionary) Islamic groups, as shown by the largely ignored events yesterday in Amsterdam.
The conundrum of a tolerant nation confronted by an ideology that is by its very nature intolerant of diversity -- and intends to violently impose its doctrine on everyone if it is allowed to do so -- is ours as well. The Enlightenment understanding of the need for religious toleration and a separation of church and state does not exist in much of the world. The shrinking of the world through technology and communication means the remaining differences between cultures have to be reconciled so that we can live in peace. And those who wantonly murder others in furtherance of their agenda will have to be destroyed.
The conundrum of a tolerant nation confronted by an ideology that is by its very nature intolerant of diversity -- and intends to violently impose its doctrine on everyone if it is allowed to do so -- is ours as well. The Enlightenment understanding of the need for religious toleration and a separation of church and state does not exist in much of the world. The shrinking of the world through technology and communication means the remaining differences between cultures have to be reconciled so that we can live in peace. And those who wantonly murder others in furtherance of their agenda will have to be destroyed.