What are they thinking!?

     As terrorists continue to murder around the world, we try to make sense of their behavior, to understand how they get to this point.  What are they thinking!?  Experts say they misinterpret the Koran and believe that Allah  wants them to destroy the infidel (those who don't agree with their religion.)  Add to that the hate they have against anyone they think has done them wrong: Americans, Israelis, and the rest of the world.
     Other groups here in the US terrorize each other.  Rival gangs murder each other.  Abusive husbands and boyfriends often harm and murder the women in their lives.  How do people get to this point?  Perhaps all humans have the potential to become overconfident in their own thinking and may try to exert undue power over others.
     Devaluing life might also be a cause.  Some people might think of other humans as animals who can be snuffed out. They think that their own life on earth is just a temporary phase and that if they die a martyr, they will go on to live in paradise.  Of course in many religions, people think that their life on earth is just a phase and that they will have eternal life in paradise if they are faithful believers.
     Whenever we become overconfident in our thinking, when we begin to judge others as wrong, when our actions limit the rights of others, we need to wonder how we get to this point.  We need to ask ourselves, "What am I thinking?"