Self-defense

“Self-defense”

This morning I came very close to beating the hell out of a rambunctious snot. Frankly, I already ( intensely) dislike persons of this ilk ; He was/is your average everyday run-of-the-mill junkie. In hindsight – I realized that I had reduced myself to the level of an individual whose sole purpose in life is to drink, drug, get high, catch a buzz – to transform nearly any substance known to man into an opportunity to escape from himself – to run from reality. At the time he was withdrawing from a narcotic addiction – so his normally “sweet, personable, demure, reasonable – yes, mellow personality – was – well – shall we say slightly compromised. Inclined to resolve issues using words and maturity and not violence – I had to consider just when you draw the line. When do you turn the other cheek? When and how do you love your (belligerent, abusive) neighbor when he is pining for a fight – perpetually seeking an altercation with you? And especially when you know that you would massacre him and the outcome would be your prosecution and incarceration. Is “saving face” really worth getting into a demeaning altercation or brawl? Especially when you know that if you do not immediately resolve the issue – there will be still another inevitable challenge ahead of you. You will be perceived as craven and wimpish by those with whom you socialize. (Frankly, honestly – I’m not exactly associating with a noetic, enlightened bunch. As such I do my best to avoid problems – because we are – they are – inclined to resolve disputes using expletives (and epithets) fast and slow-twitch muscles and not using our capacities for logic and reason.) And those combating drug and alcohol addictions (compounded by mental illness) are not exactly cerebral reasoning individuals. “They’ are often as egocentric and/or self-absorbed as any other blood-sucking parasite. They are often psychopathic and pathologically selfish and often behave with unpredictable yo-yo like emotions – in part – due to the fact that most long-term drug addicts simply do not grow-up. In order to survive in such an environs – at times – I must momentarily become one of “them”.

How did I personally deal with such an annoying predicament. I calmly talked to him face to face and I stated bluntly – “you know that you can kick my ass and I can kick yours – I don’t want to go to jail over this nonsense. How about a truce?” We shook hands and simply learned to tolerate one another.

One on one – face to face – I swallowed my pride and I humanized someone who I perceived as an inhumane enemy. The outcome was rapprochement or detente.

We, as a Nation refuse to even converse with terrorists. We don’t communicate with them because they don’t technically or legally exist. My question is – how would Jesus Christ contend with such a dilemma? How do you reason with individuals who are responsible for – the “911” catastrophe; “Human Beings” who are perfectly capable of using the deaths of thousands of innocent individuals for what purpose – exactly? Accomplishing what? What do innocent American civilians have to do with America’s political policies of the 1950’s and 60’s? Innocent Americans are – for the most part – are attempting to provide themselves with desiderata. We as Americans – even as voters – have about as much to do with American foreign policies – past, present and future – as those individuals who are attempting to annihilate us.

Out of well over one billion Muslims situated around the globe – merely a small percentage of “them” are capable of participating in terrorist activity. Despite that fact – Jihad, martyrdom is ironically a threat to American sovereignty. However they – terrorists – never or rarely target Countries who are politically neutral; Who do not militarily, politically and ideologically back Israel.

“Most other Countries” have not (in the past) engaged in surreptitious or covert activities and have not overtly intervened in the affairs of sovereign nations for or due to what is often considered to be a very complex set of Geo-political circumstances.

What has to be understood is that American has grown ideologically – especially in light of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. And we and the world must move on and forgive. Just as Germany is now populated by a new generation – who no longer bares responsibility for Nazism, the destruction and deaths caused by World Wars One and Two – the obscene genocide of many groups who were perceived as evil or inferior. (Especially that of the Jew.) There is rapprochement between Vietnam and the United States. Many Communist Countries have a good relationship with America.

And African Americans must not forget their roots – the horror of slavery that continued on unabated for two hundred and fifty years. But they must move on as individuals in order to thrive, to be happy and well adjusted , to be Godly. We forgive. We grow. We mature. This personal “evolution” is a critical aspect of the human condition – whether it involves an individual or an ethnic or religious group or an entire group of nations.

If you presently perceive America as hegemonic and imperialistic – your perspective is distorted and/or bastardized. America has always – even in its infancy – stood for Democratic ideals, for truth and justice – not merely at home – but around the globe. Yes, we have made some mistakes in the past (who the hell hasn’t?). However, we should not be judged for our adolescent growth period. Nor should biased or unbiased observers disregard the fact that America has been contending (throughout history) with arrant (no holes barred) Communist aggression. We have had to face a world rife with “megalomaniacal” despots, and potentates, malevolent monarchies and fascism. We have been drawn into World Wars One and Two – and in the absence of our sacrifices – the global community would presently (very likely) be under Nazi control. (Perhaps many of you believe that this is overly simplistic – however I don’t believe so.) As such – we would be living in a world where genocide would be perceived as a sociological cleansing and a perfectly acceptable method for eradicating the mentally ill or retarded, those who are homosexual, transvestites, transgenders or those who are simply viewed as “perverse”. Genocide would have transformed a pluralistic, heterogeneous world into a planet of “genetically and ideologically superior”blonde, blue-eyed German Protestants. The answer or solution for what Nazi ideology saw as detrimental to the weal of society – was to simply exterminate those who were “inferior”; It would be a world without drug addicts, criminals, psychopaths or sex offenders. (Although this aspect of Nazism appears appealing to many of us – it is unquestionably at nearly everyone’s expense.) The point being that very few of us would have survived such an onslaught. And in the total absence of doubt – this would have included the demise of the Islamic Fundamentalist. Yes – you – the Muslim people – owe your very freedom to worship to America. The very people you have vilified and dehumanized — whom you characterize as “ the Great Satan”.

There’s even more for you to consider. Around the globe – there are approximately six plus billion persons and among them – approximately four and one half billion individuals are not – “BELIEVERS”.

If the Muslim doctrine is so superior – why not use love to convert individuals to Islam?

How exactly do you intend to “dispose of” approximately four and one half billion “unbelievers”? Why not let, Allah sort this thing out?

Ten thousand years from now – despite thousands of sanguinary “battles” – or more aptly put – attacks on innocent helpless civilians – there will still be a divergent, eclectic mix of tenets or doctrines which occupy the minds and fill the hearts of the great majority of individuals on this planet. Following all of the death and destruction – what exactly will you have accomplished? You will be guilty of killing millions of helpless innocent civilians – of dispersing or dispensing hate and of denigrating your religion as well as your Muslim brethren.

Rather than creating converts – you will have drawn people away from Islamic Fundamentalism. You will have antagonized and outraged the world and once a consensus is reached – and it’s an “us” or “them” decision which is established — “we” – members of the international community will have no alternative but to wage a compensatory bloody campaign against “you”.

Yes, ten thousand years from now – we will still wage a war against Bermuda grass – the cockroach will still remain a persistent, tenacious pest; Parasites will remain virulent and omnipresent; Bullies will continues to propagate and endure; Evil will continue to prosper, vex and subvert – you can appease it – or you can continue to attempt to exterminate it.

A coalescence of global resources will enable us to contend with any virulent opponent – whether its a cancer which will continue to mutate and metastasize — OR a “Jihadist” bent on the destruction of those with who they disagree theologically.

Abide by a preconceived set of rules when being savaged by a melanoma – and you will simply succumb to it.

I will – up to a point – turn the other cheek; Love my neighbor and do unto others. I will when it’s feasible extend my hand to an enemy. But when faced with an unreasoning, virulent, unfeeling lethal “form of life” – I will defend myself whenever possible – using a coalition and in the complete absence of rules and/or codification.

Jessy J.T.