Bolol
20-12-2005, 18:18
I don't look upon life as something that needs a purpose, or a simple biological fact, I look upon life as a story. A story with a protagonist, triumphs, tribulations, and humor. "Purpose" is a moot point when it comes to a story; the purpose itself is the story. The same can be said about life; the purpose of life is to live.
Unfortunately, all stories must come to an end. It is inevitable, as nothing lasts forever. However, there are times when a story is ended abruptly and unnaturally by murder or negligence, by people of ill-will or people of ignorance. When stories are ended before their time, before it reaches its climax, it is a tragedy.
It has been said that one death is a tragedy, and that a million deaths is a statistic. This makes sense as when one person is killed, they are better able to understand that one person. But when many die, it is far more simple; the more people that die, the bigger the tragedy. No one bothers to understand the person, or what happened to them, only that alot of people were killed. When this happens, the person is demoted to the equivalent of an ant in a colony by the masses. People tend not to care too much about people whom they do not know.
I simply refuse to acknowledge that.
9/11 as an example; thousands killed by people who meant ill-will, who intended nothing more than death to innocent people. When our own people look at 9/11 they see 2000+ deaths, and when the people who commited the act look upon it, they see deaths to their enemies.
What people need to understand that in acts like this, which is no more than mass murder, they end stories before their times. Each and every one of those thousands of people had families, friends, favorite foods, pet peeves, problems and everything else that people take for granted. The same can be said for all other attrocities. The Holocaust, Stalin's Purge, Rwanda, Darfur...all acts commited by people who wished to end the story.
This is why I hope never to find myself in a situation where I would have to kill another, why I have a staunch anti-war stance. Because when I look into that person, I see someone who is just like me. They are living their life, what right do I have to end it. Even if it is a "mandate" of the leader...what right do THEY have to end lives?
I suppose...If people felt more like this, if we understood what death can do, then maybe human history would be at least a little less bloody.
Unfortunately, all stories must come to an end. It is inevitable, as nothing lasts forever. However, there are times when a story is ended abruptly and unnaturally by murder or negligence, by people of ill-will or people of ignorance. When stories are ended before their time, before it reaches its climax, it is a tragedy.
It has been said that one death is a tragedy, and that a million deaths is a statistic. This makes sense as when one person is killed, they are better able to understand that one person. But when many die, it is far more simple; the more people that die, the bigger the tragedy. No one bothers to understand the person, or what happened to them, only that alot of people were killed. When this happens, the person is demoted to the equivalent of an ant in a colony by the masses. People tend not to care too much about people whom they do not know.
I simply refuse to acknowledge that.
9/11 as an example; thousands killed by people who meant ill-will, who intended nothing more than death to innocent people. When our own people look at 9/11 they see 2000+ deaths, and when the people who commited the act look upon it, they see deaths to their enemies.
What people need to understand that in acts like this, which is no more than mass murder, they end stories before their times. Each and every one of those thousands of people had families, friends, favorite foods, pet peeves, problems and everything else that people take for granted. The same can be said for all other attrocities. The Holocaust, Stalin's Purge, Rwanda, Darfur...all acts commited by people who wished to end the story.
This is why I hope never to find myself in a situation where I would have to kill another, why I have a staunch anti-war stance. Because when I look into that person, I see someone who is just like me. They are living their life, what right do I have to end it. Even if it is a "mandate" of the leader...what right do THEY have to end lives?
I suppose...If people felt more like this, if we understood what death can do, then maybe human history would be at least a little less bloody.