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The most significant concept that has shaped our President’s foreign policy has been his pronouncements of an “axis of evil." As psychotherapist Sheldon B. Kopp once said, “Evil can be displaced, but never eradicated as all solutions breed new problems." It is my belief that we all have a dark side and if we refuse to acknowledge it, it may rear its ugly head.
Our President repeats his talking point that if we are not vigilant in containing the terrorists in Iraq , they will eventually follow us home. However, his rambling scare tactics are not being taken seriously by most Americans anymore. Most of us are insightful enough to realize that no matter what happens militarily in Iraq , that a pattern of terrorism is an inevitable consequence of the world we live in.
Just where is this axis of evil? Contrary to what the President proclaims, the terrorist don’t need to follow us home, they reside here. The recent massacre at Virginia Tech reminds us of the evil that lurks in our own backyard. The axis of evil comfortably exists at home and also is embodied in all the political corruption, wars, and natural catastrophes that have confronted us.
We like to appoint commissions and offer up a multitude of recommendations when we are befuddled by terror. As citizens, we have a short learning curve. The same worn-out policies and procedures get pulled off our dusty shelves and are re-implemented to no avail. Possibly this is our ritualistic way of trying to control the uncontrollable.
Now that we have a new story of evil, I find it appalling how Americans gravitate to their television sets to watch every gory detail of this slaughter of innocent students and teachers. Contrary to what the experts have advised us to do, the media recklessly posts innumerable pictures and audio clips of our latest mass murderer to the fascination of many of us. How insensitive to the families of the victims! Do we still not understand that confronting evil in the wrong manner only intensifies its power over us? Can the axis of evil be found in the hearts and minds of all of us?
While we are fixated with the evil doings in at Virginia Tech, have we forgotten about our courageous military men and women who are coming home in flag-draped coffins? Although we have power over that crisis, it seems that we have long since forgotten about their fate. It is interesting to note that just as many soldiers were killed in Iraq during the same time-frame as the horror of the thirty two shootings at Virginia Tech.
This is not about comparing pain. It’s about respect and acknowledgement. Where are the names of our courageous victims of war? Where is the media coverage for the grief and mourning for our killed and maimed soldiers and their families? As we continue to pay lip service for the support of our troops, the death of these men and women are almost exclusively recognized by the local communities of the fallen and the newspapers which are available in their hometown.
We point our fingers at other governments for their lack of civility, and yet we find our current political administration disintegrating at home. Is not torture of prisoners, illegal wiretapping, deceitfulness about the mission in Iraq , and other political corruption a symbol of the axis of evil? Was it not Jesus who proclaimed, “And why worry about a speck in your friends eye when you have a log in your own?
The axis of evil will not follow us home, it is already here. We live in its midst because human nature consists of evil in need of transformation. The axis of evil remains alive and well because we fail to recognize its face and its whereabouts.
The axis of evil must be challenged but we must be careful how we deal with it. We are not good at managing evil because we do not understand its nature. We can no longer be naïve, but must recognize evil’s signs and symptoms and take the responsibility as a nation for confronting it appropriately. There are measures that we can take to combat evil if we will seek to understand it and not get distracted in our commitment to minimize its impact.
Unfortunately there is reason to believe that we are a nation blinded by political corruption, ignorance, and innocence. We must think like the terrorists do in order to confront them effectively. Unless we wake up soon, we will have destroyed ourselves while foolishly following the advice of our Commander-in-Chief and waiting for the “axis of evil" to arrive.
James P. Krehbiel, Ed.S., LPC is an author, freelance writer, and nationally certified cognitive-behavioral therapist practicing in Scottsdale , Arizona . His personal growth book, Stepping Out of the Bubble is available at www.booklocker.com . James can be reached at www.krehbielcounseling.com .
James P. Krehbiel, Ed.S., LPC is an author, freelance writer and nationally certified cognitive-behavioral therapist practicing in Scottsdale, Arizona. James has taught Master's level classes in counselor education through Chapman University of California. He specializes in working with patients who have depressive, anxiety and autistic spectrum disorders. James has written numerous articles on a variety of counseling-related topics, all available via Google searches. His first book, Stepping Out of the Bubble, is available at www.booklocker.com. James is in the process of completing his second book regarding adult illusions about their childhood experience.
» left by David Tanguay (1 year 214 days ago.)
One of webster’s definitions of evil, anything that causes harm, pain, etc. you know James we are all guilty of practicing some sort of evil. However, as you mentioned in your last article about the potholes in our lives. Tell me if this makes any sense to you, before I believed in God I remember talking to someone, I told him 100 years from know “WE” (all who are living presently) will all be dead. With the exception of a few babies living at the time that will live to be over 100 years old.
Suppose if all the children born from this day on were all taught the truth or all nurtured in a society, which was more refined so to speak than our present day society, wouldn’t life be much greater 100 years from now than it is today? Why do all generations have to go through the same procedures we had to go through? Those phases we went through as teenagers were all part of trying to make sense of this crazy world we live in. I believe the old adage “It all starts in the home” is wrong. It all started at birth is what I believe, what do you think?
» left by James P Krehbiel(1,460) James P Krehbiel (1 year 185 days ago.)
Susan,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I had hoped that this article would generate more enthusiasm than it did. I am very passionate at this point in my life about what is happening in our political climate. Thank you for reading it. Respond to this comment
» left by Aidan Maconachy(791) (1 year 184 days ago.)
Your point about the nature of the dark side is well taken. There is a line from a U2 tune titled "Peace on Earth" and if memory serves it reads - "you became a monster, so the monster will not break you". Our relationship with our dark side becomes particularly treacherous when we don a 'good guy' mask with respect to those we classify as evil. There is a balance between the negative and positive sides of our natures - and if we magnify one and suppress the other, we risk becoming unbalanced and a threat to ourselves. Respond to this comment
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