They Hate Us - and India Is Us
...a really interesting Op-Ed by Patrick French in the New York Times.
I'm not sure how the battle against terrorism is supposed to be won.
Especially, when its eradication could very well be impossible.
The same could be said for genocide, or for all the world's seemingly impossible, unbeatable, untraditional horrors.
There seems to be this point where the line between belief and reality/humanity is blurred and hate is created.
I mean, there are things I say I hate: the smell of french fries, rapists, the texture of chalk, when the prolife campaign stakes out campus, calling your significant other your "boo," hot pink, etc.
But it's so hard to fathom a hate like that.
It's hard to fathom a belief that can't work with reality, a belief without a sense of humanity.
And it's hard to fathom fighting such hate.
I suppose you have to be optimistic though. Especially when the alternative is giving in, accepting a world complete with terrorism.
I don't mean hippie optimism, fight hate with love, darkness with light, etc.
I mean tough optimism. Real optimism. Smart optimism.
For example, taking a harder line with Pakistan.
In the frenzy of my dislike for the Bush administration and the Iraq War, I think I forgot how much I don't like terrorists. Like really, really don't like. (I'm trying to refrain from using hate here...)
And also how much I like America. Not love - I'm no Toby Keith, I've read All the Shah's Men. But really, really, really like.
And in the end that's what's important, that I like something more than I hate something.
And so, at the end of the day, I guess I'm choosing optimism.
