March 27, 2018 - Terrorism and the fear of absolute chaos

March 27, 2018

Terrorism and the fear of absolute chaos

Throughout the world today there is a pathological mania for absolute order which stems from the fear that absolute chaos will emerge in today’s societies. In order to feel secure, particularly in light of this threat, many feel that they must obtain complete control over the way people behave and think. This is expressed mainly in adopting a fundamentalistic perception of things which is articulated in multiple and yet contradictory ways.  

On the one hand, this fundamentalistic perception perpetuates a type of “missionary movement” that is obsessed with preserving tradition (whatever that tradition may be) so as to protect tradition from being annihilated by modern relativism. In this effort, tradition is misinterpreted and loses its existential entity. It becomes transformed into a legalistic ideology that is unable to adequately address the existential conflicts that humans encounter in life; the various facets, contradictions and tragedies of life; the unexpected that can occur along life’s way. What is even more dangerous is that such a viewpoint suppresses human freedom in that it prohibits human beings from seeking to find and coming to know truth. Thus, everything in life remains static to the point where no one can develop and mature as a person. Lastly, these fundamentalistic “movements” will eventually reduce humans into helpless and weak beings, without any personal entity therefore dominating their lives entirely.

On the contrary, while these fundamentalistic “movements” proclaim that they uphold the “right order” of things, in reality, they cultivate a “demonic” fanaticism that destroys human existence and societies. These “demonic” fanatic forces demand total submission from their fear-stricken follower. To achieve their goal, they terrorize him and her with the threat that, whoever does not submit one’s self to their “cause”, will lose one’s soul and one’s life. Thus, the fear-stricken and insecure follower will succumb to find safety and meaning. But these are pseudo-realities and meanings that hide pretentious motives. Paralyzed by fear, total submission and terrorism will constitute a way of life for the follower; a way of life that will not only destroy him or her but all of those that refuse to adhere to these fanatic forces.

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