The suicide bomber who blew himself up and killed seven C.I.A. officers has been identified as Humam Khalil Mohammed, a Jordanian physician. A double agent, who worked for the Jordanians, but also, it turns out, for Al Qaeda, where his loyalties obviously lay. While everyone is so shocked by the fact that he was, in death, and in terror, exposed as a double agent, to me, the shock is that he was a doctor. To Westerners, who hold life sacred, the notion of killing oneself, whether for a cause or out of despair, is anathema. To practitioners of Judaism, the person who dies of suicide has so betrayed the God-given gift of life, that he or she cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery. Their soul is stained for eternity. So the idea of a doctor committing a suicidal act of terrorism is even more hard to fathom.
The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by doctors swearing to ethically practice medicine. It is widely believed to have been written by Hippocrates, the father of western medicine. Among several verses, a physician pledges to prescribe regimens for the good of his or her patients and never to do harm to anyone. Unfortunately, Mohammed was not the first, and probably not the last doctor to become a jihadist and turn away from helping people, in favor of killing others, including himself. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s No. 2, whom the C.I.A. was trying to get to through Mohammed, trained as pediatrician. Hamas leader in Gaza George Habash and Mahmoud Zahar also trained as medical doctors.
The great psychologist Carl Jung, father of analytical psychology (also known as Jungian psychology), believed that at the most fundamental level, human beings operate and are motivated by one of two emotions – love or fear. When they endeavor to act out of love, others, as well as themselves, benefit. When they act out of fear, a primary emotion that spawns negative secondary emotions like anger, and ultimately hatred, no one benefits. In the instance of the aforementioned doctors who have eschewed their pledges to do no harm and help others, we are witnessing a profound tragedy on the world stage. They have made a stand, and the message is clear. They have chosen hate over love. For the jihadists, practitioners of radical, fundamental Islam, and would-be soldiers in an unfortunately growing army of haters, they have set the worst example possible.
There is a pearl of wisdom in the Talmud that says, “He who saves a single life, saves the world.” The whole world? Yes. That person sets an example, that can be followed by others, who will continue setting examples. So by extension, everyone plays a role in saving the world. Love begets Love. Hate begets Hate. What kind of world do you want to live in?
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I remember studying that quote from the Talmud in middle school – “He who saves a single life, saves the world”. I agree and think it is true for many reasons. Aside form setting an example that can be followed by others (which it certainly does), it also ensures that the person will be alive to make any contributions to the world within their potential. Perhaps they will go on to invent the next energy saving tool or travel to Haiti to rescue victims of the earthquake. These acts, inventions, or other accomplishments (not to mention having kids with all of the same potential) exemplify how saving a single life, saves the world. And even if its not saving the world in the sense of curing cancer or global warming, having a family and touching those around them counts too. With endless possibilities in each and every person’s life, saving just one saves a world of many.
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Your articles are excellent. Unfortunately, one can see and feel the enduring stench of hate, inequality, discrimination, killings and all other ills in our society. I’m afraid the worst of hate is still in the future, as predicted in the Bible. I hope all of us can do as much as we can in reducing hate if we practice Jesus’ teachings: Love your neighbor!