Terrorism is Cancer

Invading, spreading and destroying, terrorism is cancer. A malignant growth, it corrupts healthy cells, yielding fear, pain and death. It lays waste to resources and lives. Every place, every organ of every society, is threatened. Nonetheless, just as we are winning the battle against other cancers, disease-by-disease, year-by-year, we know how to destroy this illness.

It will take time and research. We must understand, at the deepest level, the disease’s cause, what fosters its growth, and therefore its treatment. This will take money, thought and tremendous effort. We will not stop this illness by panic or rash acts, which further destabilize nations and peoples, and make the cancer worse.

At the same time, the treatment of this illness will at times be severe. Aggressive therapies are required and we must not hesitate to act where it can save lives. We need to balance the benefit of action with side effects.

All cancers start from small numbers of mutated cells, which multiply. Terrorism is a pathology of sick individuals who spread their illness of hate. As the answer to breast cancer is not to remove all breasts, so the parts of our society where terrorism begins are not naturally diseased. The solution is to stop the degeneration of healthy tissue and when malignancy grows, cut it out.

Thus, prevention is critical. Just as smoking causes lung cancer, so poverty, ignorance, and isolation lead to sick societies that breed this disease, which slaughters the innocent.

Most critically, revolutionary advances in treating cancers of the human body have required the work and coordination of scientists, doctors and citizens, all over the world. Countries everywhere, are involved in finding cures.  In the same way fighting, preventing and healing terrorism will require every society to work together. This is not a time for flag-waving or blame. This is a time for sane international action.

This horrible disease attacks us all. No one is immune. No society truly healthy. As the world came together in the “war on cancer,” so we must come together in a “world war on terrorism.”   We start with anger, pain and fear; we will move forward with determination, collaboration and a love for all mankind.

 

2 Comments

  • Mary
    Solidarité!
  • meyati
    Yesterday in Paris was terrifying. I have and had muslim friends-Turks, Kurds, Iranians, lebonese, Indonesians, and Afghanistanis. In New Mexico, we have terrain like the Middle East. We had a massive immigration about 1910 and 1918 from Lebonon. Their descendents are now politicians, millionaire cattle ranchers, police, etc. I'll be honest what scares me is changing laws to accommodate their religion-sharia law. I think that it's horrible for anybody in a Burqa to have an ID like that. The earlier and some of the current women wear 'chadra', Their bodies are covered, but they just use a scarf wrapped around their heads. I can see their smiles. I was in southern Europe in 2004. Europe was under seige back then. France and Italy reached the point where they felt that their laws and cultures were being overwhelmed. Detriot wants the immigrants, because they are so work oriented, and business creative.. We had a recent immigration of West Africans-Cristians that were fleeing the Muslim slaughter. Obviously, we aren't quarantining the terrorists. I look at the profile- Young, men alone. But how many husbands and fathers would take their children on this horrific journey? Look at that poor baby on the Turkish shore. I wish that we'd give priority to the Yadzhis and other minorities that were targeted by extremists. Meanwhile, I'll vist my Afghanistani friends that call me sister.

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