Training Knights Lesson 10 Healing PTSD Part 3

By Stephen Cheney

Intro

Here, we continue with investigations into the workings of the mind.

Terrorists/radicals do not appear to suffer from PTSD:

Why is that?

Ordinary persons may kill, such as in war, but they do not conduct campaigns of torture and death; unless they become radicalized. Becoming radicalized is a mental process, often a brainwashing process. Those who are radicalized, terrorists being a prime example, commit vicious crimes to instil fear, or at least achieve the cowardice of non-opposition to their rule, bending the knees of all to their authority. Experiencing, or even just seeing, such viciousness and the pain of the innocent can shift the minds of less radical humans into a state of PTSD.

Of course, history is peppered with numerous examples of armies sweeping the Earth, committing atrocities and genocide. The minds of the soldiers involved have either been radicalized or made devoid of any sociable individual judgement by being supplanted by a military, political, or religious authority, so no guilt is experienced. To have guilt or doubt, you need a sociable attitude and be able, or allowed, to have your own opinions separate from an outside authority. Those who take orders are not asked to think; they are ordered to obey. Thinking in such action groups is the prerogative of the commanders. For commanders, allowing too much thinking by subordinates would hamper fast action and, on the battlefield, prevent winning.

Terrorists are not all the same, even though they are all cruel

There are different kinds of Terrorists and yet all seem to be immune from PTSD.

There are numerous terrorist groups, which means groups that conduct acts of terror, including deliberately killing women and children to instil fear in a populace and coerce them to agree with, or at least not oppose, the terrorists' political ends.

Klu Klux Klan

One example is the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). While they may be mainly Protestants, they are not influenced by religious authority. The "Love your neighbours" principle of the Christian religion holds no meaning for them. The KKK is an exclusive club that fears non-whites taking over their territory and culture, leading to a domination of hatred in their minds. It is possible that they are envious of certain attributes of African Americans, such as excellent bone structure and muscle definition, which allow them to excel in sports like League Football, Basketball, Athletics, Track and Field, and the Olympics, possibly contributing to their fear and animosity. They also seem to be worried about their women being attracted to African Americans. This leads them to despise African Americans and treat them as unequal humans, resorting to torturing and hanging those they secretly capture.

Their attitude is purely fuelled by hatred, and PTSD does not appear to be a consequence experienced by KKK members.

Give a dog a bad name and hang him. — Proverb

Not All Moslems Are Terrorists, But How Many Fight Against Moslem Terrorists?

Most terrorist groups do not have enormous numbers of followers. Currently, among those who claim religion as their authority, Muslims have millions who will not oppose them, and many members. Christians, whose old biblical texts promoted genocide, such as exterminating the Canaanites and killing their men, women, children, and cattle (why the valuable asset cattle?); committed many atrocities in the Middle Ages, including torturing and burning heretics and women at the stake. However, nowadays they do not select vicious tracks of sacred texts or Ecclesiastical rulings to guide them. Similarly, many Muslims also do not do that, preferring a life of peace and harmony with their non-Muslim neighbours.

Many Imams, as many Moslems, do not publicly condemn Moslem terrorists, wishing Islam to dominate the world. Wishing to spread and dominate the world is a common theme with a number of religions. With the numerous world-wide Moslem terrorist acts, the numerous civilized Moslems should do some housekeeping and demonstrate against such terrorists world-wide. However, they don’t.

Also, the specific Koran texts that terrorists feed on cannot be disputed by any Moslem, the Islamic penalty for that being death. When 9/11 happened and mainly Christian America was attacked and damaged by a group of terrorists, the Imams and Moslems of the Middle East shouted for joy and, as videos show, celebrated in the streets by the millions. How many Imams don suicide vests? Virtually none. They persuade others to act for them.

Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda followers approve of blowing up women and children to instil fear in the populace. Al Qaeda followers, that I have observed, appear to be akin to warrior monks. In Star Wars terminology, they resemble warrior monks of the Dark Side, like the Sith. These individuals are warriors who fearlessly adhere to biasedly selected instructions from sacred texts, emphasized by Imams, whom they consider an unquestionable authority. Like monks, they are not materialistic and do not seek worldly luxuries, instead focusing on the promised rewards in heaven and idealizing a simple desert way of living. When not undercover infiltrating what they perceive as decadent infidels, their lifestyle is austere.

They are entrusted with vast sums of money and they account for every cent to their leaders. They disapprove of women's involvement in men's business and keep them out of direct knowledge or involvement in their husband's activities.

Al Qaeda's members do not appear to suffer from PTSD; their minds are dominated by religious fervour.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah followers also approve of blowing up women and children to instil fear among the populace. Their rockets hit whoever is in the target area. Unlike Al Qaeda, their goal is not to take over the world, but rather to fight for an expanded land exclusively for themselves. The land of Palestine has been a battleground for many groups over thousands of years, and the victor has always been the most powerful. The original settlers were Neanderthals, but they lost their claim long ago.

I have found that Hezbollah followers tend to have a materialistic philosophy. When entrusted with large sums of money to launder, they may extract an administration fee, which can sometimes amount to a quarter of the total sum. They enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, owning expensive cars and jewellery. Moreover, they might involve their entire family, including women, in their terrorist operations, showing a more cosmopolitan approach.

Interestingly, PTSD does not seem to be a consequence experienced by Hezbollah's members. Their minds are dominated by religious and national fervour.

CAVEAT

Although there are many terrorist groups, it is obvious that the cultures they are embedded in, and the multitudes of people, are not terrorists. The KKK does not imply that all Christians are terrorists, just as Al Qaeda does not imply that all Muslims are terrorists. The radical choice of terrorizing and killing innocents is the unique decision of individuals and their close-knit groups who seek to dominate a populace or the world through fear. Most people want to live in peace and harmony; terrorist groups are an abomination. Moreover, such groups rarely achieve their aims of influence; instead, they incite extreme opposition, leading many nations to direct their resources against them.

Freedom Fighters

There are many terrorists and fighters opposing some authority. Though they may claim to be freedom fighters, terrorists are not true Freedom Fighters. Freedom Fighters may target government troops and police of a hated dictator or government, but they refrain from deliberately killing innocent citizens around them, as those citizens could potentially be supporters. However, there may be collateral damage, as seen in the activities of the Irish IRA or Basque ETA.

Gang-Pressed

Some terrorists do not become members of gangs due to personal choice; they may be pressed into service. The children of Africa are sometimes forced or deluded into service. Others may be gang-pressed and cannot leave on pain of death. Being involved in terror but retaining a conscience, they may end up suffering from PTSD, having experienced the hell of evil (criminally psychotic) activities.

I happened to meet, perhaps by chance, a retired assassin from Central America. He was in a shattered mental state, his mind and soul broken by the terrible crimes he had been forced to participate in. When he was a youth, he had been coerced into joining a terrorist gang that was trained by the communist Cubans, and in that group of revolutionaries, he was made to kill women and children. He, of Catholic background and influence, spoke of his group being involved in the 1980 assassination of Archbishop Romero. So, if true, it is a possibility (but unconfirmed) that his group was responsible for the deed, and not others who also desired to kill the archbishop, such as Roberto D'Aubuisson of the ARENA party.

Australia is known as a safe haven, and like many other radicals, he fled to Australia to escape his past and his group. However, physical escape does not equate to mental escape. The burden of one's deeds remains with them forever. The subconscious remembers everything. He continues to suffer from PTSD, and he is a broken soul merely existing, hardly capable of social interaction.

Spare the fly,

Wringing his hands,

Wringing his feet.

Imploring mercy.  — Issa (1763-1828)

Contributing Factors of Persuasion

When you shoot at a Bullseye there is no guilt, when you shoot at a person, there may be guilt, but not if you view that person as a thing or an “enemy”.

Peer group reinforcement.

Higher authority, such as Imams, taking over one’s responsibility.

Defining an object is subjective: - that infidels are not fully human (pigs\apes).

Fear of contradictions and dissenting faiths.

Indoctrination by education, such as books for kindergarten teaching, say that infidels are bad and should be killed. Such teachings and books are favoured by Wahhabist Saudi Arabia and are found in the schools that it funds.

Reinforcement of faith by way of Natal imprinting: the rocking and reciting of scripture by students in madrassas.

Belief reinforcement by repetition: five prayers a day.

Our senses perceive reality, but it is our minds that evaluate those inputs and assign definitions and values, thus meaning.

When a radical attacks, they determine the nature of the victim. If the victim does not fight back strongly, then the radical can only despise the victim and, in that contempt, attack again and with more cruelty.

All these contribute to ATTITUDE, and one's attitude determines what one accepts as reality.

To see through glass Darkly.

If you dare to wander through the dark corridors of the underground of a city you can meet many radicals. However, that is dangerous, and you need to have courage, initiative, adaptability to the moment, and also the ability to survive when outnumbered and if things go South. Without courage and initiative there is no progress, no action. Intellectuals like to think and talk a lot, but where is their courage, their daring to enter dangerous unknowns with confidence in their abilities to endure and succeed?

Many Become Terrorists Through Brainwashing

The mind determines what one believes and thus what one feels and does. Like a computer, the mind can be programmed, even reprogrammed. There are many forms of brainwashing. milder ones such as advertising and political propaganda; medium ones, such as peer group pressure. Many terrorists are tribal in their early life and need the respect of their colleagues as a priority. To impact the subconscious brain, Madrassa schools employ a technique where young students spend hours reciting scriptures while rocking back and forth. This rocking motion is reminiscent of the unborn baby being rocked in the walking mother's body and later being cradled in her arms. It creates a repetitious, soothing, and encompassing environment that maximizes learning and acceptance.

(Image: Warrior - unknown source)

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