Two weeks after the bombs that shattered the concept of security for most Bostonians and many other US citizens it is time to start reflecting on the lessons learned and the people involved. This is not a research in the personal history of the bombers and their passage from country to country, the pathology of a soul that looks for a place to call home and that eventually finds itself murdering the people who not only embraced it, but the same people who had hopes to make their spirit grow and soar.
Most of the attention is focused on the living suspect of the bombing, the successful student, honorary sportsman and a hard working young man who had allegedly participated in the planning and execution of the bombing, as well as the later terror attack. Shockingly this is not a surprise, nor is this anything that anyone can say can not happen. And that is entirely the fault of the Western civilization, with its years long “correctness” towards religion and different cultures.
The hatred that many religious people (of many different religions, by the way, but most dangerously of all of Muslims) harbor against the west can and could have been diminished if only we had some more pride in the development of the Western civilization, if we would not shy away from declaring that this society is better, more advanced and more free because it has evolved away from religion.
Instead of accepting any type of “belief system” out there we should emphasis the long road that democracy has made from ancient Greece to today, the development of free people in Europe (French revolution) and the American declaration of independence which is practically the manual for any true liberal out there.
You want to practice your pagan religion? good, do it at home, and do not harm any one in the process. You want to slaughter a lamb in your bathroom because you think God likes you better if you do it? well, you better eat the whole thing and send your kids to a school where they will explain about the un necessary pain and suffering inflicted on animals in the name of god and its followers. Do not expect us to giggle as you tell us about your traditions, rather expect us to be enraged that you do not embrace the civilization that accepted you – and we do expect you to show appreciation of this culture and civilization by respecting its most basic values.
So next time someone tells you they are off to Koran lessons, or they say that they decided to drop their plans for academic studies because “only god matters”, try and give a shit attention and tell them that you hope that they also spend some time learning about what led to the American revolution, to current suffering of most women in the Arab world, the Church denying Africa condoms and much more – you might just prevent the next hobby bomber.