Extremists,

All of Them

Political, sexual, and religious abuses, cruelty, violence, mayhem, torture, and murder; what has become of “moderation in all things” - Terence 185-159 BC?  Obsessions and the compulsion to take them to abusive extremes seem to have grown quickly in recent decades.

What has happened to the various world cultures that fractions of them have gone to extremes and the rest do not appear to condemn it?

Politicians demonize all who do not feel as they do. Molesters attack the defenseless and deviates attack all that choose differently than they. Believers exclude all other beliefs and murder, abuse and enslave while others among them stand by tolerating it. Many have taken self abuses to the extreme and expect others to help them overcome or tolerate their obsessions. Violence and lawlessness are rampant and tolerated when it’s directed toward others, and allowed to go unchecked even by those officially charged with its control.

What could this be? Extremities are not new, but this volume and frequency seems to be. It could be the result of much more information about what others might be doing or not doing. It could be a byproduct of increasing despair and disappointment with long established values and institutions. It could be the massive increase in ignorance and the bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, and poverty that comes from ignorance, selfishness and corruption. It could be toleration. You do get what you tolerate.

Muslims aren’t the only religious extremists murdering non-believers. Progressives aren’t the only political extremists ignoring human rights. Child molesters aren’t the only sexual extremists preying on the defenseless. Addicts aren’t the only substance abusers. Drug gangs and terrorist aren’t the only ones committing mayhem on the innocent.

Extreme behavior must be stopped with overwhelming irreversible and swift excessive punishment, more severe than anyone finds appropriate. Unacceptable behaviors only stop when harsh unexpected official action is taken with little warning so that the offending entities can only blame themselves for bringing this terrible reaction upon themselves, or they are dumbfounded to conceive of or execute a response that is more hideous and likely to bring another even more unimaginably horrible punishment.

All actions that fall short of unexpected, overwhelmingly punitive, and nearly unimaginably punishment will not diminish extremist behaviors.