This is part of a paper I wrote on terrorism and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). Just some ideas on how to make things better. It probably doesn't mean much and I don't know how realistic it is, but I think it's good to think about this kind of stuff once in a while.
To end all terrorist activity would mean to end resistance and revolt, which is an impossibility. Until we live in Huxley’s “Brave New World”, not everyone will agree or conform to the status quo. Terrorism, or at least many of its characteristics, has been around as long as people have thought differently. Reducing the violence and unnecessary bloodshed, as with the ELF, is certainly possible. One step in the right direction would be for our governments to stop interfering with the lives of people they have no right to influence. The notion that white, Christian Europe is the best in physiology and religion, and that its values need to be spread at all cost, has led to much resentment. Colonization, the killing and using of native peoples around the world, and the present-day political meddling that exists can all be cited as sources for hatred towards Europe and the United States. In fact, white, Christian Europe may well be the largest terrorist organization there is, with a history going back centuries. When we let people run their countries and live their lives however they choose – including religion and political system – we will decrease much of the world’s terrorism.
Furthermore, the global political community will have to promote listening to all people and groups, as well as get rid of all the routine and red tape that hinders action. But all the work cannot be left to the government; the people need to become better-informed and better-involved in the political community, looking beyond their own front lawns to matters that affect the billions of others across the globe. From one perspective, terrorist organizations are pushed towards violence by a global community who will only pay attention if bombs go off. If terrorist groups weren’t immediately criminalized and were instead first heard, some violence and death could be prevented. I believe it unrealistically optimistic to think that all violence, revolt, clashes in ideology, and all the other issues associated with terrorism will ever cease to exist. I do consider improvement quite realistic, however, through such means as listening and not forcing our lifestyles and values onto others. It seems odd that such simple concepts are so difficult to follow, and that they are not at the top of our priorities. Many factors have led to the disconnected lifestyle much of the Western world is now living. We are often disconnected from our local community, our global community, and the natural world. Though we often look to others for change and for the solutions to our problems, we must not forget that change requires a strong foundation. When each person is more attentive, involved, and empathetic, much of our violence – the wildfire of the human condition – will seem to us silly and barbaric.
