You be the judge ... (hint: The answer is obvious - and quite easy - and has nothing to do with 'force-of-arms').
Here is the post that asks the question: http://snarla.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/if-they-hate-us-why-havent-they-killed-us-yet/
After reading some of the comments on the post I anticipate answers that may come to mind, and give the answer to the largely rhetorical question posed above.
[A] They don't hate us and they certainly are not trying to kill us.
[B] The reason [A] is true is that almost all of them live in such a state of poverty that they have much, much, much more to worry about than hating America.
and...
[C] Just like in the 'Good Old US of A' some among us, in hopes of switching attention from their own shortcomings, like to throw up FUD-Lies-Bull-Stuff about the other side.
and ...
[D] "Love thy neighbor as thyself."
... This messages is true whether or not you embrace the word 'love' ... Because the converse is also true ...
[E] "If you hate your neighbor you hate yourself."
... In other words, you have no choices about this ... it is built into your very being.
To make my point even more clear ... It's not the 'Golden-Rule' it (and it's converse) is the 'Golden-Attribute'.
ReplyDeleteThese concepts are attributes of not just humans but of all organisms. Sadly our 'higher' functions tend to obscure such mundane and obvious observations about the nature of things.
So at the risk of saying too much. What is the "Golden Attribute". This attribute that requires us to "Love they neighbor..." is not so much a admonition for your behavior but an observation on how to behave given that you must "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." A good question can be: "Why MUST I do unto others ... etc ...". The reason is very simple, and is connected with something called 'the-optimal-strategy'. This strategy has the name 'Tit-For-Tat'. It has been shown to be optimal because it does survive being exposed to itself. Other strategies that can not stand being exposed to themselves can be characterized as 'Always-Default'. Such 'defaulting-strategies' will self extinguish. These non optimal strategies can be characterized as 'blooms' or 'bubbles' that expand or inflate and then die off or burst. Optimal strategies tend to reach a steady state. Additionally steady states, also, sadly, equate with mono-cultures and do leave themselves open to opportunistic 'always-default' strategies that will 'bloom' among them. The 'Tit-For-Tat' optimal strategies will extinguish the 'blooms' and restore order and the overall system will, in the process, become more robust and resist further blooms.
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