Newton's Third Law of Motion: How to Neutralize "Stupid"

?#?changeyourperspective? ?#?changeyourworld?

The world long ago understood and formally accepted sound scientific fundamentals behind Newton's third law of motion (NTLM):

"When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body" - which most of us memorized in junior high school as "for every action there is an equal opposing reaction".

This seemingly simple standard governing energy and motion has quite often been restricted to scientific discussions involving academia and/or professional science-centric circles. Generally, and tragically, missing from public discourse is that Newton's third law of motion is single-handedly the most important and telling social equation for all human interaction since the dawn of time. And yet, when it comes to understanding other societies, their motivations, norms and our expectations of them, we fail miserably to perceive this one salient fact: that others will push back as we push them, in whatever context that may be and in whatever time frame it may require. 

For example, if the United States offers a genuinely fair economic trade agreement with a third world country (the action), one that both nations' people benefit from, what response can one assume will follow on the part of this third world country? Hate, violence, irrational behavior, economic boycott?

Logically speaking (and man is indeed a rational creature, to allow anyone to say otherwise of others is insulting), it is fair to presume they will return this agreement in kind by seeking more such economic deals (the reaction), and subsequently opening their markets even more to the United States. This is NTLM at its basic yet most principled-driven reality.

When TV and airwaves are inundated with sensationalist narratives on "terrorism", "extremism", "Islamic" radicals, and the oft-repeated, and quite frankly intellect insulting, "why do they hate us?" question, it becomes difficult for the average individual to see what really is happening; difficult, but not impossible if Newton's third law of motion is applied to structure comprehension of the events occurring throughout the world.

Extremism occurs within a context of reactionary measures designed to demonstrate powerful discordance with government policies and a deep seeded frustrated defiance of the status quo. Extremism, however you define and apply  it, has historically been and will probably continue to be a reaction to perceived situations and not a stand-alone preemptive measure of defiance.

It is this base foundation from which one must proceed towards comprehending and addressing this critical matter. To believe, as some spend millions attempting to convince the masses, that such events occur in a vacuum without reason is utter ignorance and willful deception; and obfuscates a crisis that demands informed response to either eliminate or mitigate its underlying causes.

Newton's third law of motion, paired with a genuine inquiry by way of cause and effect reasoning, will more often than not (I dare say always) lead to a realistic and fact-based conclusion. Apply this in discussions and debates involving "Islam", "extremism" and "US-Middle East relations", and watch people get dumb-founded at the simplicity of the approach and the veracity of its conclusions.

It is literally a "stupid" killer.