The September 11 terrorist attack by Islamic extremists shocked all of us. Our government responded with war against Afghanistan and Iraq. A proper response by you can lead you to a self-actualized life and at the same time, reduce terrorism throughout the Globe.
Terrorism is not part of Islam. Timothy McVeigh was a home grown terrorist. Terrorism is not caused by the presence of Israel among Arab nations. Terrorism existed long before Israel was established. In previous years, terrorism came in the form of pogroms and crusades.
Terrorism is not caused by the teachings of any religion. It is caused by the misinterpretation of religious tenets by highly competitive believers who proclaim,
"I have the truth and you are an infidel. I am good and you are bad. You must be destroyed."
Other competitive believers express themselves in a seemingly more benign way:
"I have the truth. You are a fool. But I will save you."
A highly competitive approach exists in all areas of life, not only in religion. It is prevalent in the business world where everyone is trying to become rich, and in the social world where everyone is trying to prove he or she is better than anyone else. Excessive competition leads to conflict, aggression, resentment and terrorism.
The United States is one of the most competitive countries on Earth. In the business world we have extreme competitors who cause great conflicts and degrade our society. In the social sphere, we emphasize credentials, awards and championships. In the judicial sphere, we have lawyers fighting to win cases, not to seek justice.
Not all people are highly competitive. As the Catastrophe showed, a few of those we honor and cherish most are cooperative individuals. The firemen who were killed trying to save September-11 victims were highly cooperative. So were the policemen and security people who died because of their eagerness to save people still in the burning towers.
Cooperative people have existed and do exist in all areas of life. They have existed among teachers helping their students, athletes motivating and helping the poor, lawyers working for the common good, and entrepreneurs making life easier for employees, building community and working for global peace.
Cooperators achieve harmony, the antidote to terrorism.
Scientific investigation has proven that cooperation is the best way to start a relationship with another person. On the whole, it has been determined that personal relationships tend to be more cooperative with time.
Become more cooperative for your sake and for the sake of society. Contrary to conventional wisdom, cooperation comes easy to us. Many of us have been forced against our innate desires into competitive situations by conventions of society.
As a cooperative person, paint a vision of service to people. This is the surest way to achieve self-actualization. Your cooperativeness will make your family life happy and your career full of accomplishments. It will also aid you in working with your communities for the common good - which is to your good, as well.
To help yourself and reduce terrorism, be a cooperative global citizen. Don't say,
"We don't agree, but let's compete and I'll win."
Instead say,
"We don't agree, but let's cooperate for our mutual benefit."
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