How do you understand the mind?

The Nature of Terror
By: Michael R. Mennenga

We as Science fiction and fantasy authors pride ourselves in knowing human nature, so to that end we are supposed to know the nature of terror, and understand the way that most evil men of the world think, but in light of such overwhelming tragedy as that of the Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, we all have to take pause.
How do you understand the mind of a man that can justify dieing for a cause, a leader, or a god that controls that individuals mind completely? It is a sad, and unnerving, speculation that we are all at the mercy of such terrorists. However, it has also been a great source of personal strength to watch the whole of the country pull together in a grand display of unity.
We as Americans are strange in that we are truly at our best when things are at their worst. When life is good and easy, we will find most of the country complaining about the trivialness of our daily lives. Our constant whining and bellyaching only gives voice to the mundane roles our lives have taken - traffic jams, and other such meaningless nonsense seem only to break the boredom. But as catastrophic events such as this take place, it reminds us how trivial and meaningless these things truly are. Now as the country pulls together and looks for support from its fellow man – who ironically was just days before the cause of their grief - we must take the time to recognize that there are things bigger than ourselves. That the trivial needs and wants of our day-to-day lives are nothing more than selfish indulgences that we dwell on as the monotony of our lives overtake us. Once again we have received a wake up call, and it will last until this day fades from memory – not as quickly as other events mind you – but all things like this do fade in time. Can we as a country keep this unity alive long enough to dispense justice? I believe so. And to that end I hope that it is forthcoming and decisive. The entire world watches as we work to overcome this tragedy. I pray that we do our best to not look bad in these eyes. I hope that we can maintain our greatness and dignity in the eyes of the world. It is the promise of freedom and personal happiness that this country offers which is under attack. We are being tested and this great country will pass the test.
However, to all the other free societies in the world, I recommend caution. As terror is not a unique thing in the modern world, this great land was relatively safe until this tragic event. It is not to say that we do not deserve, or are somehow above terrorism, but the fact that it has come to our shores has woke up the world. The level of planning, and amount of funding, required to launch this kind of attack within this country shows that these fanatic groups have stepped up their personal war. Whose country will be next? It is clear that if these men can pull off such a strong and organized attack on American soil, other more easily accessible targets may soon follow. War has been declared on the free countries of the world – and destroying our free societies is what this war is about. Empowering individuals and giving voice to the oppressed is our motto, and it strikes fear in those who wish for power and control of the mind of its people. Pay close attention to our struggle, for it is a struggle that we all may soon share. Only when the power held by the few, is given back to the masses of common people, can we truly call this world free and civilized.
Sci-fi/Fantasy Author
Michael R. Mennenga (men-en-gay)
http://www.dragonpage.com/