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DRAWN IN BLOOD
Thursday Jan. 8, 2015
Maybe peace-mongering folks should find some bridge-building ways.
Bullets and bombs seem to be failing in the war on terrorism.
We rail against their acts, but how do we stop what appears to most of us as insanity – when it is war to them, essential to them, to do it?
Killing them? Sure, but we can’t kill them all.
Changing their minds? Sure, but we change them all.
Joining them? Of course not.
People who drew with pencils and ink, with charcoal – with bite, with humour.
People who drew attention to stupidity and pomposity, who drew people into discussion, into dialogue.
Others drew blood yesterday.
So many are asking why?
We presume to know. World media and politicians tell us what happened but struggle with the why part – why is it terrorists with extremist views hate so much and don’t try other methods, non-lethal methods to advocate for their viewpoint?
If they wanted to sway opinion, could they not publish cartoons or buy advertising with a contrary message?
Sure, but that isn’t their way.
Violence works for them. It draws attention to them, brings them fresh recruits – enhances their stature in their part of the world, instills fear in our parts of the world. No country, it seems, is immune to terrorism.
So how does this get turned around?
More cartoonists perhaps.
But should they have to live and work in fear of being assassinated for drawing attention to something, to painting a picture – quite literally – of how things don’t make sense?
What should we draw – a conclusion, or a cartoon?
Political satire has been around hundreds of years.
Every day, writers and cartoonists poke, prod, drawing metaphorical blood in sport/art that ought to draw praise and debate. Not slaughter.
If any of those who died yesterday in Paris could do anything over again, would they have drawn differently, or not at all?
I expect not.
Hope not.
More than an issue of right vs. wrong, but an issue of speaking up/out vs. silence.
Terrorists kill people.
But they don’t kill ideas, can’t still criticism.
The converse might also be true.
I don’t believe we kill terrorism by capturing, convicting or bombing terrorists – but so far, that is all our governments seem to be trying.
A hatred mission the world’s smartest military and intelligence folks seem helpless to stop.
So, do we stand a better chance of stopping it with light, or with ignorance?
The more we know, more we shed light on it – does that make the problem better, or worse?
The world is not a scarier place today.
It was not peaceful before yesterday – and it is not dramatically worse today, but a horrific tragedy at the hands of terrorists drew attention of the world.
Mark Kolke
column written/ published from Calgary, AB
morning walk: -12C/10F, snowing, blowing a bit – invigorating, fantastic, awesome, feeling great – and Gusta was trotting along, quite oblivious to how great I’m feeling. The deeper snow is a bit of a trudge but the ‘better traction’ factor makes it so much safer …
Reader feedback:
PRETTY GOOD
Another great muse! How true (because I shared the bad news with you yesterday, I wanted to share the good today - the truck was found by the RCMP last night….. awesome!), Have a great day!, SS, Red Deer, AB
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