Don't Stop Believin' --Journey
Sunday, January 17, 2010
1:33 PM
I'm rather idealistic. I want to be the one to take on the world and improve humanity on my own. Yesterday while watching Avatar, I reached an epiphany. These don't happen often so I feel the need to share [: Anyways, I won't recap the movie in case any of you haven't watched it. However, there is a phrase in it that was especially eye-opening. The leading commander was speaking to his men and said "we will fight terror with terror." At that moment, I realized the allegorical element behind the movie. My interpretation is that the movie pertains to 21st century violence/war. Take the war in the middle east for example. How many of us are convinced that our efforts there are improving the living situations of the citizens? Take Afghanistan for example. We assume that our work there is not only improving the security of the U.S. but also the lives of the Afghani people. However, we fail to recognize their culture/religion and oftentimes ignore these values because OUR way is the "best". We use drones and modern warfare tactics that often hurt more innocent civilians than terrorists. We are indeed fighting terror with terror. Our method is to scare the terrorists with our deadly technology and superior intelligence. Through it all, we fail to recognize the side effects--the bystanders who die, the children who are scarred, the culture that is ruined. Our selfish need to provide safety to our country and prove our power is blinding us from the terror we are instilling. How many of us truly know the implications of forcing "help" on another culture? Because we don't see the scars, we turn a blind eye to the tactics. After the movie, I realized that I am just like one of them. I turn a blind eye and justify it with the reasoning that I'm not capable of changing the situation. I'm just one person. Politics and bureaucracy govern this country. If every person thought this way, would the terror ever stop? Perhaps it is time to step outside of our selfish cage, where we worry about the trivial issues. I'm guilty. When placed on a greater scale, my worries cannot compare. Imagine the time spent every day thinking and worrying about daily activities or situations. If that time was spent on improving humanity (idealistic I know), perhaps we will open our eyes. So maybe it's a little late to make a resolution, but I will anyways. My resolution is to focus on bettering humanity and disregarding the superficial.
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