12:04 a.m. ET Feb. 16, 2017

Defeating terror requires better ideas.(Photo: ~File photo)

How can ISIS/ISIL/DAESH be defeated? The first rule of conflict is: Know your enemy.

ISIS is nothing more than the latest incarnation of a splinter group of Muslims called Salifists who are Sunni Absolutists with a desire to foment the war to end time. They believe that The Divine is on their side and they will prevail to assume control of planet Earth. The problem is that most religions have a sect that has the same belief that in that war, The Divine is on their side and that they, and they alone, will assume control of planet Earth. The line of these Armageddon-seeking groups stretch back deep into religious history. In the final analysis, all of these groups are only ideas promulgated with the hope of gaining temporal power and dictating to the masses of humans.

For all of these groups, the enemy is always out there, anyone who is different from the people in the group. All of the problems of the world, particularly the problems of the leaders and their followers, are caused by those outside. Since they are not us, they eventually become seen as legitimate targets and sub-human impediments to fulfilling the goal of becoming masters of the earth. They claim that the others hate them and are trying to destroy them and their purity. The other problem is that frequently impure people get inside the group of those who are the chosen and the group has to go through periodic purges to maintain their purity.

Generally, political issues cause the rise of these groups. living in poverty, discriminated against, feeling powerless, being pawns in a game you dont understand, generally feeling mistreated by everything around you leads some to gravitate to believing in the cause of the Absolutist regime. It is us-versus-them on steroids. Every slight, every wrongful act, every misplaced word is proof that the faithful are under attack and they must strike back.

Essentially, ISIS is only an idea. The problem is: How do you defeat an idea? Ideas are bullet- and bomb-proof, in fact, outright warfare against the keepers of the idea only serve to prove to the faithful that the leaders claims that they are under attack, are correct. Even discrimination is tacit proof that the rest of the world is against the keepers of the pure doctrine.

The only thing that can defeat ISIS or any of the other absolutist movements is a better idea; the idea of a world where humans respect each other; where the gap between wealth and poverty is much smaller than it is today; where there is opportunity for you to grow into what you can become and your children can live a better life than yours; a world where love and respect are the common currency of people and nations those better ideas can defeat any Absolutist message.

Unfortunately, it is not natural for humans to practice the rule of: Do not do to others that which you dont want done to you. While this rule is understood and has been realized many times in human history, it is not universally practiced anywhere. Striving to live that rule is probably the hardest thing humans can do. Unfortunately, it is easier, and perhaps more satisfying, to simply strike back hard against your perceived enemy even though you know it will lead to counterstrike-for-counterstrike and can lead to Armageddon which is, of course, what the absolutists wanted in the first place.

Yet, we continue to lash out at others fully expecting that this time, unlike all the times before, that the outcome will be different. Defeating ISIS and all the other absolutists would be easy if we could live the Golden Rule but that rule is incredibly difficult to live. It is, as one author noted: The March of Folly and we are well along the path. We can turn around and get off the path but will we ever do that?

George N. Wells

DOVER

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LETTER: Living by 'Golden Rule' would defeat ISIS - Daily Record - Daily Record