Sow fear, and what will you reap? Chaos.

Society exists through faith. Faith in a house to shelter us, in money to feed us, in a government to provide leadership and punish those who would hurt us. I trust my neighbors aren’t going to break into my house in the middle of the night to rob and murder me. Otherwise I would take measures to protect myself, or give up and move somewhere else.

Why is Chávez sowing fear? What do people do when they are terrified? Some will take arms and defend themselves, with violence if necessary. Others will surrender, submit and let themselves be led, even to death by their oppressors. That is what makes terrorist attacks so successful. Both things play exactly into Chávez’s hands.

Chávez is sowing fear. He says he fears “Civil War” in Honduras, something that would only benefit him. He was the first to announce a “coup”, 4 days before Zelaya was detained. Patricia Rodas, a radical activist and a member of Zelaya’s inner circle, has announced the emminent return of Zelaya to Honduras. But she was forced minutes later to correct her statment, saying that she was not speaking literally. She must have known that the media would publish the shocking and ignore the truthful statements. A wave of rumors has spread through the country, even being published in major news sources.

Chavez knows that the majority of peace-loving Hondurans won’t oppose a violent mob. They will flee from them or submit. He also knows that the few who are brave enough to stand up to them, are those who have the most to lose for the use of their weapons, the Honduran military. He is setting up a situation where the only viable solution is actually a suicidal trap. He is forcing the government to commit suicide, by creating chaos, chaos that can only be stopped with force. But force will only lead to death, and death to Chavez’s victory. Checkmate.

What’s the solution? Courage. Magnanimity. Faith. Peace. Love. Instead of cowering in selfish fear, we need to embrace those who are afraid, and help them stand on their own. We aren’t afraid of you Chavez. Any use of force on us will only mean a defeat for you. We will respond to insults with a smile. We will not be afraid.

Image by Jayel Aheram, used with a Creative Commons license

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