I was in a Political Science class at UC Berkeley and the professor began by displaying his middle fingers to the class and said, “This is why I don’t like final exams either.” He explained that he tends to get calluses on the displayed fingers from all of the grading.
This particular class discussion was about religious violence. We talked about many different things including modern corruption, social constructionism and rational choice. The conversation became intriguing when we began talking about religious warriors.
Some people appear to be so obsessed with their interpretation of their religion it causes them to fly planes into buildings. I began to learn that these people aren’t crazies; I began to realize that this can happen to anyone of any faith.
Sometimes people go through internal struggles that lead them to make choices to prove they’re a true follower of [insert a religion or political stance].
Suicide bombers may have a low sense of self-confidence. When people have a low self-esteem, they feel the need to do something to esteem themselves, something that brings value to them.
So it would seem that even more important than someone adopting the “right beliefs” would be that a person adopts a view of him/herself that is reflective of God’s view of him/her. If a we don’t view ourselves the way that God views us, then our whole relationship to God is derailed and based off of a false pretense.
Everyone wants to feel significant.
Sometimes the fear of not being important drives people.
But love is a better motivator.
Sometimes people just want to feel alive—even if it kills them.
Remember who you are.