Fanaticism is a Scourge

I was preparing to make my first post to my newly created Blog when I happened to hear on CNN about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan. Again, in this troubled world, a fanatic of some philosophy, political view, religious belief, etc., has taken it upon themselves to murder someone, and a large number of innocents, either to prove themselves worthy, or to silence a different view.

I have never understood, nor will I probably ever understand, the deep seated desire to silence some opposing view, faction, or what ever it is one disagrees with, through terrible violence. I am old enough to remember the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King Jr, and Bobby Kennedy. I vividly remember the horror of Oklahoma City, and 9/11. And now the assassination of Bhutto, all acts of violence that I will probably never understand.

The only question I can ask is when will we as a species evolve (this by itself has fanatical implications) to the point where violence on this magnitude is no longer considered an option to express an opinion or support a political or religious view, and enlightened discourse, and meaningful dialogue becomes the meat of expressing our differences.

When will we reach that point in time where the Scourge of Fanaticism and it's inherent violence is removed from our daily discourse? I for one can only hope that it is soon.