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Looking Within as an Act of Defiance and Sanity
Fear and confusion can create hopelessness and withdrawal. I’ve seen it in others and felt it in myself.
By Ira Rabois
Don’t Make the Mistake of Strengthening Our Opponent Before We Fight Their Actions
Over Thanksgiving, I saw the movie Conclave with close friends. It was a wonderful film. Without giving up too much of the plot to those who haven’t seen it yet, one of my favorite scenes was a pivotal, impromptu speech by the Bishop of Kabul, responding to a previous Bishop who spoke about a supposed threat from Muslims and terrorists to Christianity. The Bishop of Kabul said;
What is it you think we’re fighting?
Do you think it’s those deluded men
who had carried out these terrible acts today?
No, my brother.
The thing you’re fighting is here…
inside each and every one of us…
The idea of the enemy within has a long history, not only in Christianity but Islam, Judaism, etc. It’s often referring, as the Bishop of Kabul did later in his speech, to feeling hate.
The phrase has also been used by politicians to serve their purpose of manipulating public opinion and public psychology with fear, anger, as well as hate. Joe McCarthy used the phrase to stir up fear and hatred of Communists, claiming without evidence “Commies” had infiltrated and were taking over our government. DT used the phrase to increase suspicion, fear, and hatred of brown and black immigrants, Democrats, and his other opponents.
I’d like to use the term in a slightly different way. I’d use it to describe what the fear of DT, misdirected by DT and others like him might unleash in us. But ‘enemy’ might distort the issue. The fear is very real, but it can both undermine or enlighten us. When we view the emotion with compassion for all we’re going through, it can get us to look within as an act of defiance and sanity.
Most of us realize he threatens literally everything. Certainly, the environmental protections would go, which would not only undermine the future of humans and other species on our planet, but…
