When I was growing up, my parents moved a few times. Four elementary schools, two junior highs (middle school), and two years in a boarding school gave me opportunities to make new friends--and to be tested. There is a bully everywhere you go, and they always pick on the new kid. I had a lot of fights, but I never started one.
It is human nature to avoid conflict, and that was my first tactic--always. First I tried to appease them--you know, attempt to make friends, but that invariably failed. And sometimes I tried to bribe them--"You want to ride my bike?" But that stuff never worked for long; they kept coming back until I stood my ground. Their weapon was fear. Once I penetrated that flimsy veil, it was all over. But to do that, I had to clean their clock.
I learned a lesson from that--you can fight them now, or you can fight them later.
Is it any different with the terrorists?
