Let me start off by saying I am no expert on the subject of Terrorism but I have been doing my share of research since arriving in Morocco and having multiple classes that address the issue. I want to start off by putting to rest the misconception of the Islamic faith being linked in any way to Terrorism. Terrorists misuse this religion to achieve their own political agendas. The same way that Hitler claimed to be using Christianity as a reason to murder 6 million Jews. Religions are not the enemy here. The real enemy is the misguided people ripping apart the religion and going against everything it stands for their own personal gain. Once we all understand that Islam is not the enemy then we are that much closer to defeating terrorism. I asked my host brother if he could describe Islam in one word what would it be and he answered peace. Having lived in a Muslim country for the past month and a half I believe I am in a position to defend the islamic faith against the fearful views of the western world that stem from misunderstanding. It is so easy to cast judgment on something you know nothing about or simply don't understand. Turn this judgment into love and respect and we are one step closer into uniting the world. In fact when people fear the islamic faith for the actions of people like Bin Laden then we are letting the Terrorists win. We are giving them exactly what they want and that is to terror us apart. Another misconception is that Terrorists are against the western world and Christians. Actually terrorists are against everyone who is against them including Muslims. Malala is a Muslim yet she was shot in the face for standing up for her education. People of all religions fall victum to the acts of terror on a daily basis. So how do we defeat Terrorism? First let me touch on how we do not defeat Terrorism. Bombs. WE DO NOT DEFEAT TERRORISM BY DROPPING BOMBS. This actually does the exact opposite. This drives people to become terrorists. Imagine if your home town was bombed and hundreds of people you knew were killed including your family members. The natural reaction of any human being is to take the defensive after being attacked just like the US did after 9/11 and seek justice, When you take everything from someone they become desperate and do irrational things out of grief and anger and may even become the next suicide bomber. This is exactly why bombs don't end terrorism but actually Fuel it. So how do we really fight terrorism? The answer is simple. Turn fear into love. Turn the misguided into the educated. Turn the poor into the entrepreneur. Love is the most powerful weapon we have against terrorism. How do terroristic groups stay in power? They are brilliantly strategic. They build hospitals (example Hisbollah in Lebanon ) they provide aid to those in need, (example the Taliban in Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake) they give money and a hope for a future to the poor. They use the misfortunes of others to manipulate the public. Many young people who join terroristic groups stem from poverty. In their eyes they see no other choice if they want a good future. This is another way terrorists use manipulation and this is where my knowledge of being an international business major comes into play. If youth developmental programs were set up in countries where the youth was at high risk of falling victim to terroristic groups brainwashing agendas, then I believe we could diminish terrorism. In these developmental programs young people would be mentored into becoming entrepreneurs to starting their own businesses. By giving the young generations a chance at a better life through the use of business strategies we potentially will be eliminating future terrorists from forming. I believe the way to beat terrorism is through the use of education and love. You may be thinking this is too complicated and unrealistic but I can promise you it would be more effective then dropping a bomb on civilians and therefor fueling terrorism. These innocent lives matter just as much as yours and mine and this is my attempt to give a voice to those who are constantly over looked. At the end of the day we are all human beings and the day we loose sight of that is the day that terrorism wins. Always choose love my friends because love conquers all.
“Love isn't the work of the tender and the gentle; Love is the work of wrestlers. The one who becomes a servant of lovers is really a fortunate sovereign. Don't ask anyone about Love; ask Love about Love. Love is a cloud that scatters pearls.” -Rumi Your friend, Jess
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"When you do things from your soul, You feel a river moving in you, a joy." -Rumi Morocco has given me a new outlook on life. I see things more clearly now. Ultimately I still don’t know what exactly I am on this earth to do (but who really does?) Will I work for the United Nations one day? Oh man I hope so. Will I join the Peace Corps after graduating? It’s a big possibility. Will I work on economic development and sustainability research in a third world country? Well I don’t know how my soul could ever be truly satisfied if I didn’t. Will I be a diplomat for the U.S. State department? Hmm that would be pretty cool. What about the FBI? Sure why not? Really all these things are big “maybes’ and “uncertain dreams” but what I have discovered living in Morocco is that I never want to stop learning. So maybe in a strange way I did figure out what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. All these questions I have that I want answers to, I need answers too. All the books on my list to read all the dates and names that need memorizing. All the concepts that need understanding. I crave the knowledge of the world and I never want to stop challenging myself and LEARNING. I truly believe education leads to freedom of the mind and soul to truly understand oneself along with the world. To be able to think for yourself with out the influence of some politically agenda driven news station. To be able to look at the facts and draw a conclusion simply based off of your ideas and thoughts. Education is such a beautiful gift and it pains me to see so many people my age taking it for granted. Mozambique showed me to appreciate my education and Morocco has given me a drive to never let it end. Today in my intermediate Arabic class my professor got off topic and began talking about how people have become to focused on the “to have” instead of the “to be” in life. The “to have” being all the materials, people, jobs, ect. that we think we need to have rather then the “to be” which is all the qualities and emotions we are like being happy, thankful, appreciative, hard working, blessed ect. Becoming obsessed with having to have things makes people loose sight of humanity. Life becomes more about posession than passion. Now a days people are so concerned with "I have to have this job to have this house to have this life style to have these people approve of me" which all leads to a never ending circle of disapointment when we should really be focusing on what to be. What sets your soul on fire? What makes your heart sing? What makes you feel like you have purpose on this earth? What makes you feel truly alive? I think we need to make the answers to questions like these our “to be’s”. To be educated. To be rich in wisdom. To be internally satisfied. To be humble. To be strong and independent. To be full of spirit and soul. To be alive. To feed that fire that lights your world and makes the meaning to life visible. Morocco hasn’t given me all the answers but its given me the answer I was looking for. My desire to know the unknown and never stop searching for the other answers. I hope one day I am fluent in Arabic and I hope one day I can say I read all those books on that list and know the dates of those important historical events that shaped the world as we know it today. Ill chase the answers and come up with more questions along the way. I’ll love with all I have and never forget to be me.
With all my love from the ends of the earth, Jess P.S. Remember TO BE YOU, light that fire friends. |
AuthorHi I'm Jess!!! I have a soul for traveling and loving people. All kinds of people from all conners of the world from all walks of life. I've left pieces of my heart all over the world. This is my safe space to write all the things on my heart. I hope you find some comfort and encouragement in the words on these pages. Thanks for reading friends (: Archives
July 2016
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