Just Slow Down

I was delighted to see this essay by Rex Hupple in my paper this morning.  I’m frustrated and tired of these people who have all the answers right now and consider uncertainty a weakness.

I wonder if the best way to honor those murdered by the Islamic State is to simply show some humility, to acknowledge that seeking justice and striving for a better, safer world requires knowledge of wildly complex geopolitical issues intertwined with the bastardization of a faith few Americans truly understand. Attacking each other, demeaning our leaders, mocking the way someone processes a tragedy that, by its definition, terrifies us is the antithesis of humility. And it can push our country in unwise and ill-informed directions.

We can say what we believe while leaving the door open to the possibility that we might be wrong. We can place faith in the people who have actually studied these subjects — terrorism, the Islamic State itself, the nuances of conflicts in the Middle East — and not dismiss their opinions just because they don't fit neatly in a talking point….

I admit it: I don't know how America should deal with the Islamic State. But I know it's something we need to talk about.

And the only way we can talk about it is if we stop yelling and start admitting that the best course of action has yet to be found.