We Need to Change How We Look at Things

I haven't been writing lately but I have been thinking a lot. I've been trying to wrap my head around what this world is coming to. People talk about it all the time but right now I think it's different.

I am good with change. I can usually adapt to the new reality. I often really like it. Right now I think it's different.

We are at a key time in our history. Perpetrators of terror are getting better at what they do. They have found new ways to make us scared, irrational, and angry. They have made Donald Trump (who I admit is very good at being a carnival barker but I'm not so sure he should be in charge of nuclear weapons) say things right out of 1930's Germany, albeit about a different group.

I've seen a lot of ideas to make it better. We need to hurt the bad guys. We need to realize how we are all similar. We need celebrate our diversity. We need to be sensitive and stop appropriating other cultures. This is what I know, we need to start looking at why we are so angry. 

Why is ISIS so mad at the west?

We can sit around and debate it but let's be honest, only the members of ISIS can answer the question. The thing is, they seem to be so angry that we never hear more than the target of their anger. It may be the answers are being provided and not reported. They feel they have a legitimate beef. Maybe if we really understood what is wrong, we could solve it.

It's scary. I like to solve things but I don't know where to start. I don't know how to reverse the hatred and xenophobia. Saying nice things won't work. We are past that. Isolation won't work as unfamiliar is always a great way to lead to misunderstandings. Integration is not known to be a great approach.

I don't know how to fix it. However, I know I want to be part of the solution. I want to be tolerant. I want to help people understand. I want to make people see the right way. I simply don't know how to do that today.

There is one thing I do know. If we don't change how we see this mess, we are going make bad decisions before we start to make good ones. I don't want to see this get any worse. Do you?