Brett Daniel Shehadey
Special Contributor for In Homeland Security
Many security professionals too often hold the bias of viewing human nature as predominantly bad or violent due. This is reinforced by the nature of their job. They therefore focus on the psychology of hate, rapaciousness, and aggression. But there is another side to humanity that is neglected within this frame of mind—love.
Associations with platonic love can include altruism, sacrifice, compassion, cooperation, kindness and charity. Such characteristics are also factors holding together relations, networks, tribes, societies or civilization. Why is this important? To fail to factor the notion of love as irrelevant, one misperceives another’s attachment to an ideology, an individual, a family, an ethnicity, or a cause.
Love, then, is in itself, an exclusive element in human nature and one of varying levels of priority. Consider that one loves their children far more than anything else. It is as subjective as it is exclusive. A patriot is supposed to love their country more than anything else. A traitor loves something else more than his country.
Indeed, the very concept of an enemy can be perceived in terms of cross-objectives or in terms of social unity. Competition creates rivalry, but the degree of that rivalry is still based on their unique perception of love. Image building becomes as important as weapons capabilities.
The more love, the less rivalry (e.g. sibling rivalry). Connections and exchange matter—hence the point of “constant” perpetual diplomacy.
To promote peace, past rulers forged ties through noble bloodlines and shared access to power. An enemy’s daughter became a king’s wife. The practice of such an intimate exchange struck the heart of a concept of sacrificing what values most between two warring peoples and parties to prevent hostility.
In thrillers, where the ruthless antagonist will go beyond the expectations of the conflict, targeting the family of the protagonist. Thus, love exposes a weakness as well as strength. Love is also responsible for the reaction of the protagonist and the end of the threat. But there was something missed in that vengeance movie that the other party loved, even it was sadism itself. And anything that one loves can be targeted.
Ultimately, an individual is either a member of this tribe or the other—this cause or the other—this ideology or the other. In war, a bond closer than brothers can form between soldiers, leading to courageous sacrifice for the unit.
If we restrict ourselves to view the world of humanity and conflict in terms of hatred, we are restricted to slanted view and naturally fail to grasp the importance of the enemy’s attachments and commitments as well as the degree to which they are connected both within our tribe or another’s.
Moreover, by utilizing the concepts stemming from love and not just those of hate filled vengeance, one goes beyond a single dimension of combat. When an enemy has no principles—they effectively have no honor. The point is that they are now more limited than before.
By factoring in love in national security, having a mind of peace, one brings to focus a fuller picture and operates on a level beyond the enemy’s single-focus of inflicting harm. It may seem like a constraint, but honorable action brings greater innovation and results. You must increase your imagination and your mind’s potential. You must go beyond the simplicity of weapon systems and targeted strikes. If you cannot operate with the same tools as the enemy, you must invent new ones to win.
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