ISIS BEFORE ISIS, PART II: THE LESSONS AND THE WARNINGS

In Part I of my previous blog "ISIS before ISIS" …I stated that Japan was at least as heinous and sadistic as ISIS…they were “ISIS” before ISIS. A further distinction makes Japan even worse in my opinion…at least ISIS believe (in their minds) that they are doing the will of Allah…they think they are following the Koran (and they may well be) and killing infidels savagely…the Japanese were NOT acting consistent with what they felt was the will of God…they just did it out of pure lack of regard for human life and human suffering…total sociopathy…widespread and Institutionalized.

So, how does this happen? We see the Japanese people today…they are some of the most kind and docile people you could ever meet…very humble and considerate. My folks have spent a lot of time in Japan and we hosted a Japanese family in our home for several months and I saw this first hand…

The Germans of today don’t seem capable of condoning and supporting Nazi atrocities….but they certainly did 70 years ago….they allowed Hitler to be Hitler......so, how does it happen?…these are generally highly civilized cultures….and even in the Middle East the horrors that are carried out in that part of the world are still, I feel, a product of something very basic, or the absence of something very basic.

What circumstances can create a society that doesn’t value human life, (beyond one’s own), and what circumstances foster empathy and compassion for others?

It is quite possible, if not quite certain, that you and me could perform the same types of atrocities that the Germans and Japanese, and even ISIS, carried out against the world...savage Genocide. All it would take is the wrong culture and the fostering of "group think" at the expense of Independent and critical thinking.

I certainly don’t think that people are genetically programmed one way or another…except, perhaps, in rare instances where there are biochemical or brain imbalances.

What did the German and Japanese societies/cultures have in common in the periods that led up to WWII? Well, they are both highly disciplined cultures that are very obedient to the hierarchy. There is not much individualism fostered in these cultures, at all. There is a homogeneity in thought and action. Straying from the mainstream is not encouraged or rewarded. There is almost a coldness…a depravity of human emotion that can stand in the way of human compassion and empathy.

This creates a climate where a leader can appeal to nationalism, to a “mass think” mentality….it creates a leader who is good at making a military that marches obediently and fervently in perfect unison; there are no stray sheep. The culture has been brought up to walk along the line. This is fertile soil for a fascist dictator like Hitler or Mussolini.

The United States, by contrast, is much less likely to fall victim to “mass think”. Dating back to the founding of our country we can see men who rebelled against the government…they felt they were not being treated fairly…and they resented the stronghold that England had over the colonies and over their sovereignty. In our Constitution, the words “freedom” and “liberty” are repeatedly enforced…personal liberties are given equal consideration to government control, perhaps even more priority.This creates a climate where people feel personally empowered to protest and show dissent. This creates Mavericks and Iconoclasts and individualists, and even more rebels. It promotes critical thinking and inquiry. This was not the case with Germany and Japan. It is certainly not historically the case in Muslim countries where compliance with a dogma is enforced.

Not everyone should play the same tune....we should offer a variety of opinions and sensitivities...and standing up to authority should be allowed if not encouraged. And, of course, human compassion and empathy needs to be taught and learned.

Genocide cannot be instigated by a country where the people are encouraged to think critically and for themselves...it might get started in a country like Vietnam, for example....but only for a short while until the people wake up and see what is happening....and then protests and marches and demonstrates and demands change.

Trust in our Government has to be earned....

Pay Attention and listen to what is inside ...think critically and independently.

Food for Thought.....