Read this today on 'The Independent' website:
Blood, rage & history: The world's first terrorists
Looks very interesting and think it would relate to what I think of repressed societys actions today. Also, if no-one has watched this yet please watch:
ZEITGEIST II ADDENDUM (FULL MOVIE!)
All very interesting but when I watched Zeitgeist II Addendum I didn't agree with the point on religion being the main cause of wars that have taken place through the centuries. The news article links to what I think. Oppression and force creates a rebellious opposition against the perpetrators. Some people are scared of the unknown and losing control and end up trying to control events unfolding around them using force and not just letting life play out and hoping that through education people make the right choices. You can't predict the future but certain actions guide people down certain pathways be it for good or bad.
Anyway, the point... ummmm...
I guess it's that it's not religion or culture (or an answer as predictable as that) that cause these acts of terrorism or violence, it's this weird need some people have or needing everything to be similar because something different scares them. As human beings we have this natural need to belong to a group of people, to interact, to educate and be educated, to love, smile and laugh. When this gets disrupted it's un-natural and probably sub-consciencely scares us. Other cultures aren't bad, we just don't understand them, religion isn't bad we just don't understand other religions. All through history humans have tried to explain the way things are, the way things or people act and until proven otherwise it remains that way. When reading through old books describing other cultures that we know of and are in existence today you don't get an education on that other culture you get an education on the naivety of how people used to think of other cultures when they didn't understand them properly. I also think the way that we perceive other cultures today will in the future be seen as absolutely crazy and uneducated.
As it says in the news article, the countries that suffered the most from anarchy were the ones that used power and force to oppress and control the population they were elected to govern. If they had given the individual(s) more freedom they would have had less reason to rebel and cause havoc, their argument wouldn't have had as much solidity.
Anyway, Nancy Etcoff does an interesting talk for T.E.D. and a point she makes is the human need to belong:
