retyopy said:
...I realized something.
Every person has a darker, more primal side.
Every Human has a part of them that would relish the idea of torturing another human. Every one of us, somewhere, deep within our souls, yearns for the screams of our fellow man. You. Me. The kindest and most wonderful person you know, somewhere, no matter how deep, would leap at the chance of painting the streets red with blood and littering it with offal.
That is indeed a very interesting thought, but I think youre being overly dramatic, and that youre saying this just because of the illusion of enlightenment you feel when you think youve uncovered something huge that applies to all of us, when it really is quite simple if you look past the blinding light that caught your attention. I think it's a lot simpler than that. It's just a flashlight, so to speak. Just calm down and look at it objectively. It's like looking at the huge headlines about a terrorist attack and missing everything else in the newspaper, and then concluding that the world is a horrible place and nothing good ever happens.
Bear in mind, this is my personal opinion.
A kind person is not kind because that's the one side he shows to the world, he's kind because that's the dominating trait of his personality. He doesnt have a "dark side" that's just waiting to show up or express itself. A kind person would not leap at the chance to torture somebody. That is why he is kind. A personality is not made up of sides, but a ton of differenct aspects and bits and pieces. A murderer does not commit his crime because of an overbearing side of his personality, it all comes together to justify his deed in his own head. That, or he has an actual need to kill others. But would that mean that everyone has that? Everyone is not a murderer, and to be more precise: like the second murderer I mentioned.
Now, it might just be that your choice of words bothered me. "Side" is really a "word too far" and an overly dramatic one to be fair, dont you think? Also, you made a few errors in your logic: First you state that each and every one of us has a part that makes us want to torture or kill, right? But then you conclude that each and everyone of us yearns for the screams of our fellow man, that somehow that little part would be that powerful. (correct me if I misunderstood, please.) That doesnt make a lot of sense, does it? Of course, we all have a breaking point where we will snap if pushed over it. But a hidden, universal need for sadism? I find that incredibly hard to believe.
If I had to agree with you, I would still not agree with your way of putting it: Again, overly dramatic. A person might feel some satisfaction from bullying someone or abusing his power by, say, making his assistent fetch him something trivial just because he'll fire him if he doesnt obey. However, that person might not feel satisfied after cutting up said assistent with a razor, whereas someone in the world might. Does the boss yearn for the screams of his fellow man? Do you really want to be that black and white about it? I dont think it is that easy.
What I would agree to, though, is the thought that we all have anger within us: Because it is an emotion. So is love. So is happiness. So is remorse. So is regret. It just stands to reason, doesnt it: We all feel. Some of us have an easier time laughing, some of us have a harder time doing it. Some of us cry a lot, some dont. Some of us kill, most of us dont. Just because some of us do it, does not mean all of us have a need to do it, or a hidden desire to do it. "Somewhere, no matter how deep, would leap at the chance.." That logic would work for having sex with your family, (Freud would be proud) giving everything you have to charity, killing yourself, renaming yourself "Cock McBalls"... Ok, maybe not that last one, but you get the picture, dont you?
That's what this is about, really. Seeing the whole picture.
Now, doesnt the whole thing sound a bit silly in retrospect? I think so, but it's okay if you dont. It's your opinion, of course, and it might only even be a thought, a temporary one. Opinions are prone to change or mature, I know this from personal experience with my own. Youre talking to a man who once thought himself infallible, but then experienced something that made him smell his own bullshit, made him humble and made him lose his excessive pride, and thank god for that. (not literally, I didnt turn christian. I am not proud of who I used to be, but I think I got better.) Now I dont hold on to my opinions just because they are that: my opinions.
(Sorry bout the wall of text, hrm.)
EDIT: Also, to the people saying "My dark side got the best of me"? Come on, you were either in a fit, or your emotions were so strong at that moment that you acted the way you did. It's not like it's a repressed part of you that just takes over, your emotions just affect your choices in the moment. A happy person is more likely to smile back than an angry one, so to speak. The happy side does not take over to make you smile, does it?
I know it's mainly terminology, but it's indirectly taking the responsibility away from yourselves, which is just silly. I order this thread not to become silly again. Please?
