Millennial Couple Bikes Near ISIS Territory to Prove ‘Humans Are Kind’. Oops!

[Mystic Wanderer]

Well, this didn't work out too well for them, did it?    

"Evil is a make-believe concept we've invented to deal with the complexities of fellow humans."

An idealistic young American couple was killed in an Islamic State-claimed terrorist attack last month while on a cycling trip around the world. 

Jay Austin and Lauren Geoghegan, both 29, last year quit their office jobs in Washington, DC, to embark on the journey. Austin, a vegan who worked for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Geoghegan, a vegetarian who worked in the Georgetown University admissions office, decided that they're were wasting their lives working. 

"I’ve grown tired of spending the best hours of my day in front of a glowing rectangle, of coloring the best years of my life in swaths of grey and beige,” Austin wrote on his blog before he quit. “I’ve missed too many sunsets while my back was turned. Too many thunderstorms went unwatched, too many gentle breezes unnoticed.”

The couple documented their year-long journey on Instagram and on a joint blog. As The New York Times put it, they shared "the openheartedness they wanted to embody and the acts of kindness reciprocated by strangers."

“You read the papers and you’re led to believe that the world is a big, scary place," Austin wrote. 

“People, the narrative goes, are not to be trusted. People are bad. People are evil."
“I don’t buy it," he continued. "Evil is a make-believe concept we’ve invented to deal with the complexities of fellow humans holding values and beliefs and perspectives different than our own... By and large, humans are kind. Self-interested sometimes, myopic sometimes, but kind. Generous and wonderful and kind.”

Looks like not all people are as friendly and loving as they fantasized they were. 

However, Austin and Geoghegan's dream trip came to a tragic and gruesome end when they got to Tajikistan, a country with a known terrorist threat and in close proximity to a terrorist presence in northern Afghanistan. They were riding their bikes through the country on July 29 when a car rammed them, according to CBS News. Five men got out of the car and stabbed the couple to death along with two other cyclists, one from Switzerland and the other from the Netherlands. 

Two days later, ISIS released a video showing the same men sitting in front of the group's black flag. They looked at the camera and vowed to kill "disbelievers," according to The New York Times. 

Some conservatives have framed the tragedy as a cautionary tale about not just the perils of travel but also naivete in general. In their telling, an overly generous understanding of human nature is behind much of today's progressive movement, including calls to radically scale back immigration enforcement and policing and support for socialism. 

Some liberals, for their part, might view Austin and Geoghegan as martyrs in the struggle for a better world, or simply as unfortunate.  Experts on told The Washington Post, "Central Asia generally is fairly safe."

---

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article said Tajikistan has a "known terrorist presence" and that the couple biked through "ISIS territory." It is more accurate to say that Tajikistan faces a threat of terrorism and is near to northern Afghanistan, which has a significant terrorist presence.

Source

I hate this happened to them, but really... if you are that stupid, then you probably deserve it.  At least maybe their story will open some eyes for others out there who thought/think the same thing.

[BIAD]

A tragic red-pill moment.

'...People, the narrative goes, are not to be trusted. People are bad. People are evil."

“I don’t buy it," he continued. "Evil is a make-believe concept we’ve invented to deal
with the complexities of fellow humans holding values and beliefs and perspectives
different than our own...

By and large, humans are kind. Self-interested sometimes, myopic sometimes, but kind.
Generous and wonderful and kind.”...'

He's correct, but only in a novel. By-and-large, brainwashed humans hold beliefs that they'll kill for.

[senona]

A tragedy indeed.




But...…

“I’ve missed too many sunsets while my back was turned. Too many thunderstorms went unwatched, too many gentle breezes unnoticed.”

First of all, that can be seen from your own home, if you take time to appreciate it.

Or if not, spend the weekend in a neighboring area to enjoy the beautiful sunset, thunderstorms.


Second of all, we all have to work to pay bills. Unless you come from a rich family to where one doesn't really need to work. 
However, many working people still  find the time to stop and 'smell the roses' so to speak. Especially when they have kids.

So IMO, that is a lame excuse. 
Apologies if that sounds harsh. 
Guess I don't fall for that "poetic" type of comment, that sounds like it came out of a book.  

“People, the narrative goes, are not to be trusted. People are bad. People are evil."

“I don’t buy it," he continued. "Evil is a make-believe concept we’ve invented to deal with the complexities of fellow humans holding values and beliefs and perspectives different than our own... By and large, humans are kind. Self-interested sometimes, myopic sometimes, but kind. Generous and wonderful and kind.”

This is clearly the thinking of someone who doesn't get out in the "real world" often. Sounds like they lived a sheltered, protected life.
Which is cool. 

But leads to that naïve way of thinking.


All they had to do was, take a trip to another state every so often and several things they would have encountered:

• they would have seen many a beautiful sunsets/sunrise
  
• depending on the time of year and where, they would have run into many a storms to watch
  

• also, as we have experienced in our days of travel, they would have run across our country's very own "bad, rude assholes"
  

I'm sure it would not have cost as much as it did to go to another country, had they been a tourist in our own country. 
So many beautiful and unique states.


And the chances of them being killed would have been slim to none. 
Not improbable, but slim.


Unfortunately, their naivety and ignorance of the real world, cost them their lives.

The couple documented their year-long journey on Instagram and on a joint blog.

As The New York Times put it, they shared "the openheartedness they wanted to embody and the acts of kindness reciprocated by strangers."

But then again, since they seemed to want attention, hence documenting their "year long journey" for everyone to see, it might not have garnered as much attention say if they went to Moab, Utah (which I love) or Tennessee which is gorgeous, especially in autumn.


Sadly, they were a couple who felt like they had to prove a point, only to find out they were wrong the whole time.
There ARE bad people out there.
That is not a lie.








Sorry if I sound like a hard azz.
Do not mean to offend anyone.
I'm just a realist who has seen a lot.
Sunsets and meanness both.

[BIAD]

...Sorry if I sound like a hard azz.
Do not mean to offend anyone.
I'm just a realist who has seen a lot.
Sunsets and meanness both.

Offence is taken -not given, Sen and regardless of whether your ass is hard (pics or it's not true!)...
I totally agree with you.

It's nice to wistfully talk about sunsets, but tigers know they can't eat them.

The real world isn't a Coca-Cola commercial.

[gordi]

A tragedy indeed.....

....Sorry if I sound like a hard azz.
Do not mean to offend anyone.
I'm just a realist who has seen a lot.
Sunsets and meanness both.

Hi Sen,
I have to say, I pretty much agree with everything you say here.
With just one possible caveat/amendment...
There are HUNDREDS of other countries and areas of the world that are beautiful, different, interesting, exciting, adventurous but most of all.... SAFE.

Naively cycling through areas which are known to be dangerous, just to prove how safe and nice people are was simply stupid.
I was wondering, what did the families and friends of these people say to them when they announced that they were going on a journey to prove how nice and "kind" everyone was....?
Did no one think to give them a slap up-side the head?

Hard Azz #2!

[Wallfire]

I have met young people who think like this young couple did. It seems to be a misunderstanding of how the world works.
It seems they think along the lines of "I dont eat meat, so the bull wont charge me because it will see im a better person than the others".
Its sad they died but I see what they did as a form of suicide, the type of suicide that they think will give meaning to there lives, that it will be in the papers all over the world, there names will be remembered for the great deed they did.
The thing is the bull does not care what you had for breakfast as it charges you.

[727Sky]

At least we do not have to worry about them voting and breeding

Sorry it is just many people do not have the faintest idea how inhumane humans can be...  If they have been taught all their life they are so special due to their religion (or what ever) and anyone else is just trash stealing and breathing their air..killing can be a celebration .. I just hope the purps are captured or killed hopefully very painfully...

[guohua]

At least we do not have to worry about them voting and breeding 

@"727Sky"  I Agree, Another couple of People who had No Idea About the Real World.
They probably Apologized to every person they met for being American and White!

[Ninurta]

I have met young people who think like this young couple did. It seems to be a misunderstanding of how the world works.
It seems they think along the lines of "I dont eat meat, so the bull wont charge me because it will see im a better person than the others".
Its sad they died but I see what they did as a form of suicide, the type of suicide that they think will give meaning to there lives, that it will be in the papers all over the world, there names will be remembered for the great deed they did.
The thing is the bull does not care what you had for breakfast as it charges you.

Exactly right, and an appropriate analogy. Bulls don't think like we do - they don't give a crap what you had to eat, they only care that you are interloping on THEIR turf... and ISIS don't think like we do, either - they don't care how nice or naive you are, they only care that you're not popping your head on the dirt and your ass in the air 5 times a day to pray at their demon-god.

When the dumbasses said ""Evil is a make-believe concept we’ve invented to deal with the complexities of fellow humans holding values and beliefs and perspectives different than our own...

By and large, humans are kind. Self-interested sometimes, myopic sometimes, but kind. Generous and wonderful and kind.”...' they signed their own death warrants.

My kids used to be afraid of monsters under the bed and in the closet, and I patiently explained to them that actual monsters DO walk the Earth, but none of them live in closets or under beds - they're much more nefarious and unpredictable than that, and all of them appear to be humans, even friendly humans, on the surface. Some wear turbans, and some look as goofy and harmless as Jeffrey Dahmer looked.

And this: “I’ve missed too many sunsets while my back was turned. Too many thunderstorms went unwatched, too many gentle breezes unnoticed.” ... while they're concentrating on that "beautiful sunset", most folks are entirely unaware of the evil creeping up on them from behind - like ISIS operatives, for instance. I for one know for sure which way I want to be facing, and what my back needs to be turned to... and danger ain't that thing I want my back turned to.

I guess other folks differ in that opinion... and get eaten by the bear or gored by the bull... or blown up by ISIS. Evil IS - ignore it at your own peril. Sure, I'm an asshole, but I think these two ought to be nominated for a Darwin Award, and given a medal for not polluting our gene pool any further.


.

[senona]

Hi Sen,

I have to say, I pretty much agree with everything you say here.
With just one possible caveat/amendment...

There are HUNDREDS of other countries and areas of the world that are beautiful, different, interesting, exciting, adventurous but most of all.... SAFE.

My thoughts exactly!!

I just used the U.S. being as they mentioned not being able to see "sunsets and storms" and there are plenty of beautiful states within their home country.


But yes, many great countries around that are exciting and beautiful yet safe to visit.
In fact, I hear Scotland is a beautiful place to visit.  :smallwink:

Naively cycling through areas which are known to be dangerous, just to prove how safe and nice people are was simply stupid.
 
I was wondering, what did the families and friends of these people say to them when they announced that they were going on a journey to prove how nice and "kind" everyone was....?

Did no one think to give them a slap up-side the head?

Sadly, tragic needless deaths, all to prove a point. Which in the end, proved them wrong anyway.

Hard Azz #2!

YAY!

Another member of the Hard Azz club!  

Drinks are on me