by Sally Zahav
Courage is the antidote to terror. If this type of response became more common, potential terrorists may think twice before subjecting themselves to the possible humiliation of being subdued and overcome by their intended victims
During an interview of Dr. Ben Carson with Fox & Friends, the topic turned to the recent terror attack on Umpqua Community College and how one might behave if such a threat should arise. Among other things, Dr.Carson said "I would not just stand there and let him shoot me". This reaction is spot on, for at least two very good reasons; one targets the psychological aspect of terrorism, and the other targets the operational aspect.
What happens when people are willing to attack a terrorist and take the risk that on one hand, the resister may be the lone operative and be the first to die, but on the other hand, other people may join the effort to restrain or disable the attacker?
It seems to me that when that happens, when the would-be victims take positive action to confront and neutralize the attacker, the "terror" aspect, the very core of the attacker's motive, is neutralized. Courage is the antidote to terror. If this type of response became more common, potential terrorists may think twice before subjecting themselves to the possible humiliation of being subdued and overcome by their intended victims (and if we are talking about Muslim terrorists, humiliation is much worse than death).
The other, operational aspect comes into play because if the attacker is busy struggling with a resister, other people can meanwhile escape (we are not all equipped, physically and emotionally for such a struggle), call for help or arm themselves with whatever is available and join the fight against the terrorist. This would usually result in limiting the number of casualties.
Granted, none of us really know what we would do if confronted by such a situation, especially if we have family members nearby. But we have some stellar examples to illustrate what can happen when the intended victims present a courageous response. Here is an example - a recent incident that occurred here in Israel, which would have been much worse had it not been for the fearless response of those who were present, especially one young man. There are actually many such examples in Israel, especially these days when terror has been on the rise.
We should all give some thought to what our values are and how we might react should we find ourselves facing such a challenge. Are we here, walking the Earth, simply to prolong our personal existence for as long as possible or are there things that are more important, even, than life itself - having the courage to act on solid values and stand up to terror, thus minimizing the danger to all.
It seems to me that when that happens, when the would-be victims take positive action to confront and neutralize the attacker, the "terror" aspect, the very core of the attacker's motive, is neutralized. Courage is the antidote to terror. If this type of response became more common, potential terrorists may think twice before subjecting themselves to the possible humiliation of being subdued and overcome by their intended victims (and if we are talking about Muslim terrorists, humiliation is much worse than death).
The other, operational aspect comes into play because if the attacker is busy struggling with a resister, other people can meanwhile escape (we are not all equipped, physically and emotionally for such a struggle), call for help or arm themselves with whatever is available and join the fight against the terrorist. This would usually result in limiting the number of casualties.
Granted, none of us really know what we would do if confronted by such a situation, especially if we have family members nearby. But we have some stellar examples to illustrate what can happen when the intended victims present a courageous response. Here is an example - a recent incident that occurred here in Israel, which would have been much worse had it not been for the fearless response of those who were present, especially one young man. There are actually many such examples in Israel, especially these days when terror has been on the rise.
We should all give some thought to what our values are and how we might react should we find ourselves facing such a challenge. Are we here, walking the Earth, simply to prolong our personal existence for as long as possible or are there things that are more important, even, than life itself - having the courage to act on solid values and stand up to terror, thus minimizing the danger to all.
I Would Not Just Stand There and Let Oregon Attacker Shoot Me by Tanya Basu:
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told Fox News on Tuesday morning that he’d have taken a different approach if he had been approached by the Oregon shooter.“Not only would I probably not cooperate with him, I would not just stand there and let him shoot me,” Carson told Fox & Friends on Tuesday in response to a question about how he’d have handled the gunman in a hypothetical situation. “I would say: ‘Hey, guys, everybody attack him! He may shoot me but he can’t get us all.'”Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon was the site of a mass shooting that killed 10 people, including gunman Christopher Harper-Mercer, on October 1. Harper-Mercer asked students in a classroom if they were Christian before shooting them. The day after the attack, Carson tweeted a photograph of himself with a sign declaring, “I am a Christian.”On Monday evening, before his appearance on Fox & Friends, Carson wrote a Facebook post on his thoughts about gun control. In the post, Carson says he remains against gun control, despite seeing “plenty of gun violence as a child.”“There is no doubt that this senseless violence is breathtaking—but I never saw a body with bullet holes that was more devastating than taking the right to arm ourselves away,” he wrote.
Sally Zahav
Source: http://time.com/4063493/ben-carson-oregon-shooting/
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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