Terry Sarten: Terrorism thrives on making us scared

Everyone is opposed to terrorists shooting innocent people or blowing others - and themselves - apart. Except the fanatics who feel this is their calling.

We know what terrorism is and how it thrives on fear. We see and hear politicians ramping up these fears with war-like rhetoric and talk of shortcuts to basic freedoms. It suits them and the multi-national corporates to sell us fear as there is political traction and financial gain to be made from encouraging citizens to live in fear. Events are cancelled, nations go into martial mode and whole sections of society become easy scapegoats. But we must resist the temptation to go where this leads as this means the terrorists are winning.

To oppose terrorism we need to define and name the opposite of terror. The various "isms" tend to have a bad name and are often tainted by history - fascism, fundamentalism, triumphalism, fanaticism, totalitarianism, racism and a new one "Donald Trumpism".

Pacifism is not right as an opposite to terrorism. It carries a "do nothing" rather than a "do something" connotation. The Daleks were wrong and resistance is not useless.

We have optimism - meaning we live in the "best of all possible worlds" but the pejorisms people (severe pessimism) would dispute that creating a schism leading to further absurdisms. The followers of apocalypticism would really think the end was nigh and find themselves agreeing with fideism. Terrorism cannot be countered by fatalism, cynicism or sarcasm or stoicism - it requires the linking of humanitarianism with mutualism working on gradualism to oppose ignorantism.

It does not mean we can ignore historicism (belief that all phenomena are historically determined) or accidentalism which considers events do not have causes or surrender to the theological indifference and latitudinarianism that is called adiaphorism. It seems we cannot rely on experientialism to save us or fatalism as a place to hide or retreat behind laxism or resort to reductionism.

We need to go towards bonism, the belief that the world is good but not perfect and find a new word that defines the opposite of what terror signifies so we use it as a way to shape our stance. Heroism is reserved for those who do brave things against the odds and braveism just sounds wrong.

We need a new word that spells out an opposite position to that of terrorism and it may be that we have to invent one. I thought of combining democracy/resilience into "democresiliencisism" but that is too hard to pronounce or remember and any counter to terror needs to be short and meaningful and unite people against the fear generated by those who would make us afraid.

"Resistavism" might be a good start. It has the notion of resisting the hype of terror generated by those who benefit from our fears while carrying a whiff of resilience in the face of forces that would want us to cower and be afraid. Resistavism does not need a flag or a slogan.

All it requires is a determination not to let terrorism and the proliferation of fear generating stereotyping to define our response.

-Terry Sarten is a writer, musician and social worker - feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz