Thought Provoking

In recent days we have heard about the abduction of more than 200 girls in Nigeria.  They have been split up into groups most probably and taken to various holding places before being sold into slavery or married off for as little as $12.

If you want to get an idea of the vastness of the area we are talking about, use your Google Earth to look up the Sambesa Forest.  It is inhospitable land teeming with poisonous snakes and wild animals.

The group that takes responsibility for the abduction is a radical Islamic group called Boko Haram and they are now using the girls as leverage to get other radical Islamists currently imprisoned out of jail.  Even the father of one of the girls doesn't think that this would be a good idea.  The old adage -- we don't negotiate with terrorists -- comes into play.  And why is it?  Because ultimately it doesn't work and it only makes things worse.

The men who are part of this group seem to be affected by an addiction that is growing in the world -- the addiction to power.  The U.S. Department of State had a chance to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist group on the world's watch list but did not.  It might have made a difference.

Edmund Burke, on the addiction to power:

"Those who have been intoxicated with power... Can never willingly abandon it."

– Edmund Burke

 

The quote above tells the story.  For those addicted to power, their greatest satisfaction is being able to control others.  For the Boko Haram to get some of the girls to wear muslim garb and say phrases honoring Allah is probably very intoxicating.  To be able to dictate the fate of the girls is more intoxicating.

 

We can't know for sure, but the girls who may have refused are probably in very bad shape.

 

The desire for power to begin with, in my opinion, comes from deep-seated insecurity.  If everything seems out of whack, then the ability to control others is appealing.  Bullies come from this same frame of reference. 

 

The lack of "love" within the Muslim faith leaves all of them at a disadvantage in life.  That's my opinion and it is echoed by a noted Muslim and Christian scholar who was once a Muslim.  The Christian belief in God's love for us strengthens us, fortifies us, and makes us less anxious.  And yet, there are Christians who have fallen into the power trap with disastrous results.

 

When writing the story of a person addicted to power, the ending is always very similar.  Addiction brings destruction, no matter what kind of addiction.  In the end, the person lording their power over others falters and then fails and the victims are also left injured. 

 

During America's fight for independence, our forefathers had to decide if they were going to serve under a group of people similarly addicted to power.  They decided they would not.  Although they all paid a high price for that choice, their perseverance won them victory.  Freedom is always worth it.

 

Let me know what you think. 

 

Karen