Wednesday, June 13, 2001
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Wednesday, June 13, 2001 |
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The dark side of the human condition By DAVE HAMRICK There is nothing that both horrifies and perplexes me as much as the capacity we humans have for murdering each other. I can understand just about any other crime. I don't condone them, but I can at least imagine the circumstances under which I might commit theft, sell illegal substances, or even commit battery, and feel justified in doing it. And, yes, I believe that if circumstances had been different and I had gone to war in my younger days, and if I had been forced to kill or be killed, I would have chosen the former. But I cannot comprehend the mind that is comfortable with deliberately causing the death of an innocent human being. Yet Timothy McVeigh not only was comfortable, he seemed downright proud of himself. We tend to get excited about the number of people killed, but should we be less horrified if someone kills only one? Should we be less horrified if someone kills for money, rather than for politics or the fun of it? For some reason, people have a fascination with mobsters. Their murders are romanticized, even idolized. Shouldn't we be even more sickened by the idea of putting a price tag on a life? On the front page of the AJC recently was the father of a Palestinian terrorist who had suicide-murdered a bus load of innocent teenagers. He was proud of his son, he said. Other youths should do likewise, he said. Those who oppose the death penalty say that state-sanctioned killing is no different than wanton murder. In taking the life of one who has taken a life, we give homage to the very concept of taking life. We cheapen it. To a point, I agree. I sympathize with the philosophy that no one has the right to take a life, not even the government, and I abhor the idea of the death penalty. At the same time, how can we suffer those who commit such heinous crimes to live? If we could fix them, maybe. But we can't. I admit it's an inconsistency. Human life should be sacred, but there should be consequences for our actions. The concepts can't be reconciled. Will we humans ever evolve to the point where we simply don't kill for any reason? I doubt it. At least not until we are totally reconciled with our creator. Some theologies suggest that Jesus Christ will one day return and rule the earth for a thousand years, but I'm not sure if that means he will remove free will from the human equation. And if he doesn't, won't people still sometimes choose death instead of life? So what's my answer? Where's a pearl of wisdom in all this musing? The answer is that there's not an answer. There just isn't one.
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