The Aetiology of Terrorism: Pathological Narcissism

Right on. I've been saying the same thing, only I express it as follows:

We each have a choice of whether we will walk on the bright side of the Golden Rule (you do to others as you expect them to do to you) and treat each other with respect, as equals, or walk on the dark side and treat each other as unequal, worthy only of contempt and destruction.

We learn the choice, and make the initial choice as children--then go on making the choice in everything we do. Those people who choose now to walk on the dark side usually learned it either from their parents or as a result of some extremely painful and damaging experience for which their parents failed to provide defense, protection, or comfort. As the psychologist said, people who choose to walk on the dark side, for whatever reason, expect pain and death because they have been told all their lives that they are worthless, or conversely, that death is far better than life.

Those of us who do choose to walk on the bright side are still allowed--indeed the choice demands that we do so--to defend ourselves and all we hold dear against the attacks of those who hate themselves and therefore all the rest of us. We should not feel guilty about giving them what they demand--death and release from pain.

So, yes, we need to declare war on evil ("live" reversed) and do everything in our power to defend all we hold dear.

For more, check out my blog phoenix-rising.townhall.com.