Banality of evil or devil at work?

Sailing through the tumultuous undulating wavy ocean of life and trying to make sense of this entity called life, I venture deep into the crevices of my non dominant right brain trying to find an explanation to the many bizarre every day happenings. I am only left more confused than I ever was.
Why do we do the things that we do?
In fact, this concept has been argued by modern man for aeons People do evil stuff which seem unthinkable to others. Instances like the Holocaust, Khmer Rouge genocide and of late the Indian brutal rape-murder incident fit the bill perfectly.

Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt, a critical thinker of a generation ago, sitting through the Israeli trial of Adolf Ikemann and his role in the holocaust, argued that, people who push the button in these heinous crimes are just like you and me. They do not have the personification of evil of you and I have in mind. They are fastidious law abiding citizens leading mundane lives dedicated to do the task assigned to them.

William-Yau-Zhen-Zhong

On the other hand, opponents of this theory suggest that these people have certain traits which only surface in the correct environment and people of same frequency.
The purist of theological minds would confidently negate this dilemma as a non issue. The scriptures have provided us sufficient guidance on how life should be lived. Our forefathers and the Word of God have paved us the time tested Path of Enlightenment which would unquestionably lead to peace on earth and eternal bliss. But then, I find that difficult to stomach as most of man's raising of arms have been in the name of proving that their religion is superior over their brothers'. Is the human race doomed to annihilation right from start?

Comments

Gory historic details or gore fest?

Razakar: The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad (Telegu, 2024) Director: Yata Satyanarayana In her last major speech before her disposition, Sheikh Hasina accused those who opposed her rule in Bangladesh of being Razakars. The opposition took offence to this term and soon widespread mob throughout the land. Of course, it is not that that single incident brought down an elected government but a culmination of joblessness and unjust reservations for a select population group. In the Bengali psyche, Razakar is a pejorative term meaning traitor or Judas. It was first used during the 1971 Pakistan Civil War. The paramilitary group who were against the then-East Pakistani leader, Majibur Rehman, were pro-West Pakistan. After establishing independence in Bangladesh, Razakars were disbanded, and many ran off to Pakistan. Around the time of Indian independence, turmoil brewed in the princely state of Hyderabad, which had been a province deputed by the Mughals from 1794. The rule of N...

The products of a romantic star of the yesteryear!

Now you see all the children of Gemini Ganesan (of four wives, at least) posing gleefully for the camera after coming from different corners of the world to see the ailing father on his deathbed. They seem to found peace with the contributor of their half of their 46 chromosomes. Sure, growing up must have been hell seeing their respective mothers shedding tears, indulgence in unhealthy activities with one of them falling prey to the curse of the black dog, hating the sight of each step sibling, their respective heartaches all because of the evil done by one man who could not put his raging testesterones under check! Perhaps,the flashing lights and his dizzying heights that his career took clouded his judgement. After all, he was only human... Gems of Gemini Ganesan L-R: Dr Revathi Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesan, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, Rekha, Vijaya Chamundeswari and Dr Jaya Shreedhar. ( Abs: Radha Usman Syed, Sathish Kumaar Ganesan) Seeing six of Ge...

Chicken's Invite? (Ajak-ajak ayam)

In the Malay lingo, the phrase 'ajak-ajak ayam' refers to an insincere invitation. Of course, many of us invite for courtesy's sake, but then the invitee may think that the invitation is for real! How does anyone know? Inviters and invitees must be smart enough to take the cue that one party may have gatecrashed with ulterior motives, or the other may not want him to join in the first place! Easily twenty years ago, my family was invited to a toddler's birthday party. As my children were toddlers, too, we were requested to come early so that my kids could run around and play in their big compound. And that the host said she would arrange a series of games for them to enjoy. So there we were in the early evening at a house that resembled very little of one immersed in joy and celebration. Instead, we were greeted by a house devoid of activities and no guests. The host was still out shopping her last-minute list, and her helper was knee-deep in her preparations to ...

RIFLE RANGE BOY

Search This Blog