
All my life I have been trying to understand behaviour.
“We can see a persons behaviour
but we can’t see their journey” I often say.
As a Youth Worker and spending many hours with Young Offenders
I have always been challenged to understand their behaviour.
At the same time I had to try to understand my own behaviour.
Still at it.
I wonder what the leaders of ISIS feel and think about the Manchester murders of children & their parents?
I am trying to understand their behaviour.
Do they feel happy? satisfied? success? when they hear/see the death & injury toll?
Or do they feel & think that their leadership is working?
Do they see that everyone, who is not like them, as infidels & therefore deserve to die?
Does age not matter in terms of their acts of murder against innocent children?
How do they read and interpret the Koran alongside their actions - behaviour?
Do they see their mission as taking over the world - controlling the world with their ideology?
I know of the extremes of people who read the Bible differently.
There is a spectrum of interpretation depending on their life circumstances & experiences.
I know that years ago I was challenged to read the Bible from underneath.
From a position of poverty & oppression - not from power & superior knowledge.
No matter what our financial circumstances we can choose to be ‘underside’ and identify with the poorest
and work/live to help make the world more equal & loving.
On my Facebook & Twitter feed, and in real life, I have a whole spectrum of people with a range of experience and beliefs.
Political, racial, oppressive, liberation, violent, passive positions on life.
It is good for me to read, hear, see a spectrum of views which cultivate forward thinking or nausea within me.
I say to all - 'you are beautiful’.
In Youth work I have developed a practice of working with people with obnoxious language & behaviour.
That is to see beyond behaviour to their core.
See behaviour - feel it - but also see beyond.
I search for the positives in a person and encourage them in that.
It may be only 1% - but I will encourage that element in all persons.
NOT ignoring the violence or abuse but striving to see the heart of the person.
Building a relationship in which I trust will encourage disclosure & therefore feeding my understanding of the person.
I cannot do that with the ISIS leaders as I have little chance of building a relationship.
But I still want to understand them.
Why have they journeyed to this place?
What is their story - their journey.
Who influences them?
Is it other humans?
Who has taught them?
Is it a purpose of their God to live as they do?
Will they be willing to enter into dialogue with other leaders in the world?
Or are they wall-builders around their culture beliefs and community?
If they won’t meet and dialogue with others - what can the rest of the world do?
Are there other options other than fight and destroy - which cultivates even more separations?
Often when it is not appropriate for me to be in a helping relationship with someone,
I will ask is their another person who is closer than I am.
Can this person be an intermediary?
Are we doing enough to find another way to start some sort of dialogue?
I am trying to understand behaviour.
To love not hate because LOVE does a better job.
ISIS you were individually created innocent beautiful humans
but your behaviour now is not beautiful but UGLY extreme.
but your behaviour now is not beautiful but UGLY extreme.
Try LOVE rather than destroying - it is a beautiful life - not easy but BEAUTIFUL.
BHP