“Not all power comes from a willingness to kill … Sometimes, it comes from a willingness to die.” – Orson Scott Card, Robota.
To use less drastic words: Power comes from a willingness to change the world. There are many ways to do it. Some are more violent than others. Some are easier to mend than others. Some are easier to master, some more efficient. Some won’t leave everyone a victim.
An interesting approach is “T2E – Talk To The Enemy“, a German site where people from all kinds of religions discuss various topics around a central theme: What’s necessary to live together in peace?
It covers basic questions: Why religions? Is the Islam misogynistic? How do you live religion? Religion and politics. Stereotypes. Isn’t Christianity out-dated? Islamic Missionaries – Should Europe convert to the Islam? Religious Terror. Minorities. Why do you hound us? Are Germans too tolerant? The secular society – who still believes in God? Muslims and Christians – Is co-existence possible?
What makes the site interesting is that its made by non-professionals, so the answers are still rough and you feel how they struggle with these complex questions. As we all do. You won’t find the slick, PR polished answers there which some types of people want you to submit to. It’s quite possible that it takes another 1’000 years or even more before we can ease these pains – if ever. But that doesn’t make these answers less real or less important. Quite the contrary.
Laws will not protect us against terrorism. Laws can only punish in retrospect – or they become the very terror they seek to prevent.
Understanding can’t protect you against a bullet. But it’s much harder to shoot someone with flowers in their hair. And your life will be much more enjoyable.
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