Walking in the Valley A weekly column for those who live and walk in Silicon Valley by Barbara Dahlgren

What a Waste! Column for the week of April 7-13, 2002

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What a waste and a tragedy! When misguided people blow themselves up thinking they become "shaheeds" (martyrs), it is such a tragedy. It is such a waste. It's a tragedy for the innocent victims they take with them and a tragedy for them to give their lives for a misguided cause. And what becomes of those like an Abu Muhammed, who commands a Palestinian troop, recruits followers to fight, and inspires them to strap explosives to their bodies so they can blow themselves up for a "worthy" cause? Or an Osama bin Laden who convinces people to hijack planes and crash them into strategic targets, killing everyone, including the hijackers for a so-called "holy war?" They stay alive, of course. Their mamas didn't raise no dummies! Someone has to lead the lambs to slaughter.

Mohammed Atta was one of those hijackers. He left behind a five page handwritten document that included plans, check lists, spiritual exhortations, and prayers. He urged the hijackers to "crave death" and "be optimistic." It seems a little like an oxymoron to me. He says, "only those, the believers who know the life after death and the reward after death, will be the ones who will be seeking death…..the time of fun and waste has gone. The time of judgment has arrived." One must be carefully programmed to commit suicide for a cause. One must be taught to hate in order to kill innocent people thinking they are doing God a service. The Bible speaks of such people in John 16:2: "...in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God."

A martyr is defined as "one who sacrifices his life for the sake of principle" which is usually connected to adhering to one's faith. A martyr may sacrifice his life for a principle but does a true martyr sacrifice the lives of others in the process? I think not. It is one thing for you to die for your principles. It is quite another to take innocent victims with you. Principles can be tricky little devils. Sometimes you can find yourself running for the touchdown towards the wrong goal.

For example, two Muslims can read the same Koran and pray to the same God yet one believes love is the solution and another hates all Americans and everything they stand for. Christians can do the same thing. Two Christians read the same Bible, pray to the same God yet they come away with different answers to questions all the time. But there is one aspect of the Bible that all Christians agree on. That would be Jesus Christ. All Christians believe Jesus Christ lived. Jesus Christ set us an example to follow. Jesus Christ died for our sins. Jesus Christ was resurrected. He was the ultimate martyr. He truly had a worthy cause and He didn't have to kill innocent victims to get His point across. Now if you want to lay down your life for a worthy cause, try emulating Jesus Christ. If we run toward the goal of emulating Christ no one will ever have to say "What a waste!" about our lives.

©April 2002

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