Politics: The war against terror is now the main cause of new acts of terror, such as yesterday’s airlines plot, whatever reality it turns out to have. What do we know about the sources of this kind of terror?

Take these words by an Islamic fundamentalist: “I still remember those distressing scenes: blood, torn limbs, women and children massacred. All over the place, houses were being destroyed and tower blocks were collapsing, crushing their residents, while bombs rained down mercilessly on our homes. . . . As I looked at those destroyed towers in Lebanon, it occurred to me to punish the oppressor in kind . . . so that it would have a taste of its own medicine and would be prevented from killing our women and children.”

This is Osama bin Laden, speaking of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982, backed by the U.S. and its naval bombardments. It is his account of how he turned to the kind of terror that led to 9/11. There were, of course, other factors, including training of Islamic fighters by the U.S. in Afghanistan. You can make what you want of his report, but it would be foolish to ignore it.

What are the differences in impact between that attack on Lebanon and this? I’d say the effects today are wider and swifter, due mainly to changes in the realm of media. I don’t mean just the Internet. I mean the major outlets. In 1982, those were dominated by Western companies. Today, there are Arabic networks.

Here is The New York Times on TV in Arab countries: “Glance at any television screen — they are everywhere — and chances are that the screen will be showing mayhem in Lebanon, Baghdad or Gaza. It usually takes a minute or so to decipher which Arab city is burning.” You no longer need to actually be in Beirut, or wait for a similar event to come to your town. You can be anywhere. “There” can be right here.

So, yesterday, “we” got endless shots of airport line-ups and frustrated fliers, with just a mention of a suicide bomber in Iraq who killed 35 and wounded 122. That news doubtless played longer and more luridly on Arabic channels. Viewers would shake their heads. They’d lay blame and feel rage.

One last point. I don’t believe viewers “there” react mainly in Islamic or religious terms. I don’t even see a primary religious component in the bin Laden quotation. He speaks as an infuriated member of the region — in other words, as a nationalist. So I disagree with U.S. pundit Charles Krauthammer, who calls this a religious war, with no resolution, that will outlast our lifetimes. In a way, that may be comforting; if there’s nothing to do but kill or be destroyed, it lets you off the hook. At least you aren’t missing a chance.

Play: I ran into a likeable leftist I know at the World Cup victory party on College Street last month. He was musing over why people get “so excited about a ball going into a net,” rather than many more important things in the world. I found it irritating and wandered off, but kept pondering it. In fact, there aren’t lots of things more exciting than a well-placed ball going into a net at the right time, and they don’t include war or poverty, which we deal with because it is our duty and our challenge, but not because of their inherent excitement.

The point is to clear space in people’s lives for those unmomentous but thrilling moments; and the horror of a place such as the Mideast is how entire generations can be so consumed by political matters that they lose any shot at the rest.

Or take the sudden collapse of the Blue Jays. I know people who seem lost now that there’s no daily race to follow. They wander about like lost souls in purgatory. They are conscientious with clients and friends, but a daily source of zest and hope-filled uncertainty has gone. I know others, mainly men, who were devastated by the NHL season that was cancelled. Following the Leafs, they could pour out emotion, not always an easy task. On the other hand, I do think engaging in politics is part of living a fully human life; it’s just not a major source of joy.

Luckily, I ran into my leftist friend again at the other end of the street party and we wandered back together, chewing it all over.

rick_salutin_small_24_1_1_1_1_0

Rick Salutin

Rick Salutin is a Canadian novelist, playwright and critic. He is a strong advocate of left wing causes and writes a regular column in the Toronto Star.