It is unfortunately a fact that terror and living with terror is a condition not too unusual for us as a community.  Yet worldwide acts of terror, especially those following September 11th are bringing other nations to a condition similar to ours.  A condition where you expect to live with terror.  September 11th, trains being bombed in Spain, school massacre in North Osetya, Istanbul HSBC Bank and Neva Shalom and many more acts of terror, more or less important spread in between. There are many facets of terror and the conditions suffered which should certainly be investigated and discussed.  And the world is doing so.  My aim here is only to focus on the spiritual community.  And furthermore I would like to share with you what my dear teacher Ahmet Taner Kışlalı had taught us about “terror” in our classes of “Political Science”. (Ahmet Taner Kışlalı was my teacher of Political Science in the Faculty of Communication at Ankara University.  He was one of the prominent teachers of political science and a very well known columnist.  Unfortunately in 1999 we lost him in an act of terror.  His death revolted the people of Turkey.  He is still remembered well through his memory and his writings.)

It is rather easy reading and being infatuated by spiritual articles and forwarding them to one another and being satisfied with all this.  But the true state can only be perceived by the attitude when faced with the real situation.  I have witnessed two approaches in the mails forwarded following acts of terror. Those that either curse or condole these acts and those that are filled with shock and sauced with spiritual channeling.

Friends!  Was not everything perfect in the universe and all that was happening was happening because it was meant to be?  When we were forwarding mails were not we promising that “whatever was to be, we were supposed to keep our balance and stand cool and keep our positions?”

Let’s go further back, back to the 90’s when the channeling informed us that only those with higher frequencies would survive and establish the new order and we thought we were the ones who possessed that knowledge and hence would establish the new order?

Or rather with all that sending light, grounding, cleansing activities everything would be much better? 

Were we not to show the “true path”, and the “truth” when all others were in panic and fear?

What happened to our unique knowledge, our neutral standing, our guiding characters, our unifying characteristics?

There is so much condemnation and so many questions of “how can they do this?” and so many unfolded looks.  Sorry to remind you!!!!  We are still here and such acts will continue.  Nobody is going to come down from the heavens and change it when there are so many here on this earth with the power to change. 

So what are we to do?

To start with attitudes such as “let us love them, hug them, and send them healing light” do not sound realistic to me.  They are only fantasies.  When we go to the roots of the situation, there is the fact that all is ONE and that everything is as it is meant to be, yet I do not think that among those I know and those whose articles I have read I have come across no one with such insight and tolerance. In the articles written as if having this insight there exists either a repetitive spiritualism or a concealed fear.

Furthermore we have to accept that fact that above all our identities we are HUMAN and humans have feelings, strong and weak sides.   Spiritual knowledge is necessary in that it should provide one with the insight and the ability to observe in a wider sense himself, his environment, his life etc.  And what I mean as spiritual knowledge is the knowledge of oneself one gains after a blending of philosophy, history of religions, sociology, mysticism, psychology, biology, channeling information and etc.  As one becomes knowledgeable he knows himself better, begins to use his strong sides positively, and gets the chance to develop his weaker sides with his stronger observation. In order to do this it is absolutely necessary to be mercilessly truthful and employ his mind.  Otherwise he can only be a “copy-paste” personality and upon the first obstacle he faces (which will come certainly) he will collapse. Undoubtfully there will arise problems but a person who realizes he has the potential to overcome these will not panic and will not be paralyzed. (Of course he will be frightened, he will be hurt.  After all we are human but there is the fact that courage is not the state of being fearless but the power to be able to act in spite of the fear.)

It is no wonder that there are crisis management departments in companies.  And if upon the first crisis those in that department cry out “what are we to do, we were a big companies and such things were not to be... Damn it!!” then the company is bound to crumble. Hey, the company trusted you and put you in that position knowing some crisis are bound to occur.  But now another department is needed to save you from this fear.

And thus “knowing oneself and being aware of ones power” is in a way brings the natural responsibility of the crisis management in life itself.   We need people who can first think “whatever is done is done, what we need now is how to organize and how to bring back order”. And then when the wounds have healed will think “why have all these happened and how can we prevent them in the future” Thinking all this while all everyone else is running around in panic!  Yet another difficulty facing them is staying calm when those who panic keep asking them why they don’t panic!  I am not sure whether we are in a stage of being as tolerant.

Yet we should also accept the following: We can not say anything to those who were in the midst of these acts, to those who have been wounded or lost their loved ones in these acts.  And it is a fact that all of us are affected and hurt by these acts.  But if we all fall into an “Oh my god! “Attitude then the terrorists will have reached their aims.  Ahmet Taner Kışlalı’s notes on terrorism states this fact that the main aim of terrorists is not to kill people but to terrify them.

Even though the last acts of terror were huge and was impossible not to be affected, the fact that those spiritual people who should have not been affected were.  And this has shown that much is still needed to be done and that we all should turn to ourselves and is critical of ourselves.  This should not in the least be understood as I have been successful and hence I am critical.

I am merely repeating these as one of you and I need to practice much more as well.

Upon such acts of terror the public reacts through various demonstrations and a lot of thought should be given to these.   As a person who observes, and scrutinizes much more than others,

I merely wanted to show primarily my own duties as an individual.  Would they not ask one how come you who know so much yet act this way?  And there are also those situations when those outside that “don’t know” know more than those inside “who know”!

Let us by observing the dark spots within ourselves; observe the contribution we make to the dark energy on earth. (Darkness brightens when we show the courage to face it)  And then let us look at the power we have, the power we still cannot perceive, and look at the tools we have yet failed to use, but only talk about.  Let us first end the terror we have created towards ourselves and be honest whilst doing so.  When we can do this there will be one less spirit feeding the chaotic energy of the earth and it will now be on the balancing side.

Let’s use our power to use our intellect and our power to act despite our fears and without panicking when faced with crises.  With such acts we might contribute to change.  Otherwise by only meditating, sending light etc little will be achieved.  (Let me not be misunderstood. I do not mean these are unnecessary.  They are good willed acts but instead of being someone who sends light on a special day I would rather walk on earth being the love and peace itself.)

Ahmet Taner Kışlalı on Terrorism,

My dear teacher Ahmet Taner Kışlalı during his classes at the Faculty of Communication had given us many lectures on “Terrorism”.  We were even tested on it.

After all that has happened recently I remembered all those lectures and wanted to share some with you.

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Latin rooted word “terror” is used to mean a “great fear” or “shaking with fear”.  Its aim is to create a common fear or rather to spread horror in order to pacify the public and hence its leaders. 

Terrorism is a means of political terror chosen by those who are weak.  It tries to hit and run in an unexpected place and at an unexpected time, because the security forces of the state are stronger both in arms and men.

In simple violence the aim is to hurt or eliminate a being.  But for the terrorist, violence is not an aim but a means.  For example a murderer kills because he wants to “kill that person”.  Yet for the terrorist the person or the people killed are not important.  What is important is the effect that event will have on people.  When a bomb is placed on a train that dies or the identity of the people who die do not carry an importance.  That is why there can be no terrorism without violence, but violence alone is not terrorism.  As underlined by Ahmet Yayla, in the acts of terrorism psychological results are more important than the physical targets.

Terrorism is a calculated violence.  It ensures that masses will be terrified and that they will think that giving in to the demand of the terrorist as the only remedy. (P36-37)

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What are the individual factors that orient the terrorist?  How does the terrorist perceive “truth”?

To start with the terrorist perceives himself not as the attacker but as the victim.   He thinks that the one who is responsible for terrorism is not himself but the “enemy”, and that the act of terrorism is not an individual choice but an historical obligation.  He believes that he acts not on his free will but as soldier of a holy authority.  He might even feel “guilty” of being alive and free when his comrades are killed or arrested. (p.41)

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What should be done against terrorism?

In the fight against terrorism three principles can be considered:

1)     A military war alone can never bring a solution yet there is no solution to terrorism without arms.  (In the words of another expert “no concession will satisfy a terrorist”)

2)     There is a wide gap between the world as it is and the “world of the terrorist.  As the conflicts between real events and the terrorist’s beliefs become more concrete, the resistance of the terrorist will weaken.

3)     It is a mistake to try to change the beliefs of the terrorist groups.  It can only be effective on each terrorist alone.  Accepting the demands of the terrorist only means bowing to blackmail.  It will only help encourage new acts.  But just as it is a mistake to show that the public has bowed to demands, it is just as wrong not to take democratic measures to change the conditions that have created the terror.

The attitudes of the official or private mass communication tools carry a great weight in the war against terror.  The news should be based on truth, but it should never be perceived as the success of the terrorist, nor should it be revealed as panicking.  Expressing terrorism as “war” is the factor that would be the most rewarding for the terrorist.  Such a description would increase the respect the terrorist has towards himself and his case

There are two basic factors that would lower the resistance of the terrorist:  His beginning to have doubts about his basic beliefs and his awareness in the impossibility of armed success.  News and interpretation on terrorism will be effective as long as they emphasize the following principles.

1)     Terrorism harms “innocent victims”.

2)     Goals can not be achieved through terrorism

3)     Peaceful means are more effective and respected in achieving political ends.

And lastly I can say the following:  Terrorism in time blocks democratic means of communication and results in polarization.  In an environment where emotions rather than logic rule, the public is usually on the side of the authority and backs the strongest measures.  These conditions –especially in communities who lack democratic experience- are very favorable to give rise to totalitarian regimes. (P.42-43)

(Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, Siyasal Sistemler: Siyasal Çalışma ve Uzlaşma (4.Baskı), Ankara : İmge Yayınevi)