Terrorism: The Art of Articulate Explosives

The air was thick with smoke, I could hardly see in front of my face. I couldn't hear a thing, I was deafened by the screaming, the thundering of the Towers collapsing. How could someone do this?

Terrorism is not an exactly new idea but it is a new concept to the so-called average Joe's life. Everything has been slowed down in fear of the terrorism boogey-man. Airports are being examined throughly, every person acting suspiciously lynched and hero stories and tales of sheer terror folly flooding the cheap paperback section of book stores everywhere like a biological weapon. There are so many questions left unanswered in the wake of events such as Nine-Eleven, Seven-Seven, Bali, Iraq, Guantanamo Bay... The list goes on. Tabloids are relishing in the almost new freedom to by-pass over-zealous PC syndication to give them a sure target: terrorists! It was all down to some lousy terrorist! It tied in perfectly with the lower classes disgruntlement to the influx of refugees and asylum seekers and gave them a general taint which people could use as a viable excuse.

But what exactly is terrorism? There are so many jaded and diluted definitions flying around it's hard to pin down which is the exact one to back. It was eventually decided in 2004 that "any act intending to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act" is terrorism.

The first use of the word "terrorism" was dated back in the days of the French Revolution, to describe the sort of strange uprising the lower classes had upon the Middle Class. Since then. There have been many groups fighting for justice in a guerrilla war with whomever they need to deal with, like governmental groups, countries or factions within their own country. One of the most poignant groups of the last few decades has been the IRA (Irish Republican Army) in Northern Ireland and it's opposing group the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force). The IRA fought to free Northern Ireland from under the rule of the UK and the UVF (and the British Army) fought to keep that little lump of land where it was. Over the years, many normal people have been killed, injured or psychologically scarred from attacks from either side.

In the most recent events, American and other important places like the UK, Madrid and Bali have been targeted by Islamic extremists. Like everyone says that they can remember where they were the day Kennedy was shot, they can remember where they were when the Twin Towers fell. There is a very important point that people miss when they think about terrorism.

Why? Of course, people think "Why me?", "Why my brother/sister/husband etc?" but never the actual motives behind why they did it. People often make crude suggestions which are taken easily: they're nuts, they just want to kill us all, they are Islamic. Somehow, I can understand. I can understand what sort of things must happen to someone who feels as if this is the only thing they can do. The thoughts must have crossed the minds of those who shoot up their schools. If someone's life is bad, I mean really bad and no one on the planet seems to care, it makes you bitter. Humanity can seem like a stupid thing. The thoughts keep going through your mind. Sometimes, being another Ghandi gets you nowhere but starvation. To take the world's attention by force, extreme things have to happen.

Imagine that you are an orphan boy, growing up in war-torn Iraq, today. Your mother was raped and killed and you've never met your father. You don't have a school because a US jet bombed it, along with several of your classmates. You're scared to go out at night just in case you are shot down by a stray bullet. Your baby sister is starving to death and there is nothing you can do to save her. You see the things that all these soldiers have on them. Food, money, clothes, homes, family. Your mind does start to grow bitter. Life is far harder than anyone could imagine but no one's really caring. There are no Red Cross vehicles around you because they're too terrified of being kidnapped. How bitter does that make you feel that because of one person's actions it prevents you from getting what you need, never mind desire.

That's what is happening there at this very moment. We are breeding a new generation of terrorists by not sharing what we have. It make sound Neo-Communist but I believe that the only way to have a safe world is to help rather than force others to be like us. That would only lead to a world of robotic brain-dead people. I believe that there is a true desperate hope in every suicide bomber. I believe that terrorists are getting what they want, they are disputing our normal lives, making us more annoyed at them, we send more bombs, they get more annoyed, more terrorists are born, they bomb us. It's a childish, vicious cycle which is so terribly, terribly human. Evolution, huh? Some future those apes turned out to be if we can't at least live with everyone not going hungry or bitter because of one man's actions.

Remember: terrorists are human, just like you.