Some thoughts on Terrorism

[kallistii]

Terrorism boils down to power. As media and the internet spreads culture/information around the world, power based upon control of information is quickly being eroded away.

Most religions are based upon control of information...and the fundamentalists of all religions fear the loss of control of their information. Unfortunately for them, Information wants to be Free, and unless you destroy it, it will always leak out.

Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are all religions based upon a priesthood that mediates the flow of information between their Deity, and the people. And thus the priesthood of each religion fears the loss of that power. So the resort to tighter control of their followers, and fear is a very easy and effective way to control people. And this is the heart of Terrorism...the use of Fear to make people behave the way you want them.

Unfortunately, this use of Fear is what underlays out culture today. Many people do not do things simply because they fear being arrested and/or killed. That's why Police and Armies exist.

One day, I hope, people will do things simply because it is the best thing for society, not because The State holds power of them.

Comments

[kallisti.livejournal.com]

Noted...Judaism is probably my weakest area of study. But in the far past, the priesthood in the Temples in Israel held great power. Judaism has had time to evolve...to make their mistakes and correct them, while Islam and Christianity are relative newcommers on the scene. Of course, being sandwidged between a number of "superpower" religions/states and persecution with the aim of extinction have forced it to evolve a "Third Wave" style format that has a radically decentralize power structure.

In many ways, Al Quaeda has stumbled upon a "Third Wave" power structure, but it's stated aim of having a centralized, Caliphate will eventually be it's downfall.

Ultimately, all religions will have to evolve a "Third Wave" power structure where descisions can be made on a very local level, or cease to be relevent. Even though technology has allowed for communications between the lowest levels and the centralized authority to be fantastically fast, the number of levels it has to pass through cause a distortion of reality such that usually the people at the top can no longer percieve what is really happening in the day to day business level down near the bottom, and cannot act swiftly enough to follow rapid change, and compensate.

You can think of the old style power structures as supertankers...they can haul a great deal of oil across vast distances, but just don't ask them to change course too often! Imagine if there were a great deal of needed changes in course...sometimes to avoid bad weather, reefs, other traffic; sometimes to take advantage of favourable currents. A supertanker would not be able to make the rapid changes needed, but, say a fleet of smaller boats could. Each has enough independant authority to make their own course, but there is an admiral who can give large, goal-setting directions, and help co-ordinate any large scale descisions. In fact, this is exactly the structure that DARPA chose for the Internet so that it can change and adapt to rapid change.

Looking at religions through the lense of the Toffler's "Three Waves" of human power structures would be a great subject for a combined anthropology/sociology/religious studies thesis.

ttyl