Religious Extremism, Drug Addiction: Two of the greatest threats to civilization
Of the many problems facing society, few ring a tone as drug addiction and religious extremism. Not only are their numbers increasing, but so is the money in their pockets and with each new member comes more hunger and desire. But what is it they to need consume? What is it they need to perform? What drives these hordes of religious fanatics on their quest for heaven? How could something such as religion be turned into something so murderous? What hurls forward streams of addicted zombies on their thirst for a disease called drugs?
In my opinion the two most important question are who are they and what the dangers they pose? Religious extremists can be described as the following: armed terrorists who believe that through their acts they are enforcing God’s will. Religious extremist have a sinister agenda, which is based on their fanatical interpretation of religion that they wish to fulfill. All around the world religious fundamentalists believe that their understanding of religion is correct and moral, which drives them to commit violent acts to enforce their will.
But where in any holy book of any religion would you find it written that killing innocent people is the road to heaven? The last time I checked such actions came under the one way ticket to hell section. If you look at your average human beings, whether they are devout followers of their particular religion or not, you will find that they do not go around carrying AK 47s or M16s and shooting whoever strays from the “path of God”. Unfortunately groups such as the Taliban and AL Qaeda believe that their acts of terror are holy and justifiable, which is why they are a very serious threat to society.
This menace that comes in the form of violence is persistent enemy that has no shame or feeling. This reminds me of how Templar Knights shouted “God wills it” before they murdered women and children during the Crusades and how a Taliban fighter would scream “God is great” before he blows himself up. This blind belief that God blesses these inhumane actions makes religious fundamentalists a very determined and ruthless enemy of us all. Meanwhile, a drug addict just wants to get high and can offer no real explanation for this impulsive hunger other than it “feels good”.
They simply take a drug then they want another and another and yet another. This endless frenzy rages on for apparent reason, which begs the question why did they become addicts in the first place? Drug addicts have money to spend and what better way to throw it away and have fun than on marijuana. Yes, fun this elusive feeling, which addicts believe can be only experienced in the highest quality through drugs. There are some who try to put a more humane spin on this point, as they claim that some addicts are just sick people who are suffering from the pressures of life.
To those people I say that there are numerous ways to tackle depression and one of the most effective methods is to go see a doctor. Such people use drugs to lift the burden of the world off their shoulders and to ensure they fulfill their essential desire to feel good. Unlike the religious fundamentalists addicts pose a more social threat to civilization. All around the world communities have become centered on drugs, whether it is the selling of drugs or the consumption of it, and are thus fit uneasily with the outside world. Now do the rest of us wish for the global community to be the same?
I think not, but the danger is very real. Furthermore, the origins of these two calamities are very different. Religious extremisms’ roots stem from the long standing problem of ignorance, as from the first day of every religion there were those who took a wrong turn somewhere. Their lack of understanding of the world fills such individuals with hatred, and when you combine hatred with ignorance you get religious fundamentalists. For example, the Klu Klux Klan, who out of contempt attacked anyone who was not of the same skin colour or religion.
On the other hand, drug addiction is a symptom of modern society, with all of its crazy ideas that are welcomed just because they are new. Unlike the religious fanatics whose ignorance has haunted us for the last thousand years, addicts are a new enrolment in the filth of the world club and their ideologies behind their actions differ from the fundamentalists. In our modern age there is a desire to senselessly carry out new activities with no regard of the consequences. All of the good things we have come up with were not enough.
We had to have different types of addictions, such as loss of life trying to conquer mountains for no sensible purpose and countless other “new things”. As a result we have to contend with drug related violence all around the world, which is highlighted by the drug war in Mexico and the rise of armed gangs making profits off cocaine and heroin in South America. This goes to show the dangers addicts pose to civilization at large. However, these two abominations of nature have one thing in common, which is that they are both addicted to something.
Religious fanatics are hypnotized by their quest for heaven and can see nothing else. Not only are they blinded by their beliefs, they are hell bent to drag everyone down. They see no alternative for their obscene acts and strive to influence the way others live. While, their cousins the addicts feel that each time they take drugs they go to the Garden of Eden. They live on the fringes of society with their illusions of how we should follow in their path and “feel good”. Both of these groups minds’ are cloaked by an addiction that isolates them form the real world, as they live in their own fantasy dream land.
In religious extremism and drug addiction we have two very serious threats to our society, which are ever increasing in magnitude. Religious fanatics have plagued us through the ages, while drug addiction is the latest addition of the junk the modern age has brought us. If we do no step up our efforts in tackling these monstrosities we shall be engulfed by decay and chaos. The means that we would require to end these thorns in our modern civilization’s side, but the outcome should be the same. Total annihilation, as we cannot move forward while we are hindered by these public enemies.
