Sometimes, human behaviour is mind boggling. The things we do are way out there… we don’t see animals saying ‘hey, how about jumping out of a plane?’ or a bird going ‘let’s build a nest underwater!!’, but human beings will go to any length to bend the laws of science and reach heights beyond imagination. It is the creative ability of our minds that separates us from the so called ‘lesser beings’. We are where we are today because of how amazingly our minds work. We are where we are because we are creative, logical and have an innate ability to process and analyse information on a deeper, much more complex level.
Like in everything there exists however, there are two sides. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad and with every productive, creative mind comes the minds that are not inclined towards creation but that work better when destruction is the aim. Today, as I sit ready to tap my keys, the news coverage about a double murder hums in the background. This coming hot on the heels of another gruesome murder that has rocked the nation for the fact that a mother can slay her flesh and blood to achieve her own selfish motives. There are stories of youngsters, breaking under some pressure and spraying bullets into people they have no connection with, we hear about acts of terrorism and slaughter… how does this happen? How do individuals shut down a part of their conscience to be able to carry out such acts? Is the human mind that strongly wired to enable them to carry on with life after such a crazy act? Or are we as spectators fuelling the spread of stories to sensationalise already sensational happenings?
The mind is defined as the element of a person that enables him/her to be aware of the world and his/her experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought. The mind thus is an all-encompassing feeling, thinking and creating portion which has no physical structure. As individuals with subjective thoughts and processes, this element ‘the mind’ also can’t be defined and measured comprehensively and accurately as being a certain way for all human beings. Trying to figure out triggers for such intense acts of violence has spanned decades of research and that research still carries on with every fresh act of violence that provides study matter to the researchers. Issues like money, property, power, insanity and passion have been blamed for many a crime in the books of law. What are the incidences that can be as intense to actually cause such extreme steps? The human mind like the human body does have its limitations. When anything is stretched to a limit it breaks and the mind is no exception. Extreme stress, untreated psychological issues, over achievement, self-defence, being victims of intense anger and aggression, etc. are all widely known causes. What about bullying, seclusion, abuse of the emotional, physical and psychological kind, torn up self-esteems and being exposed to anger and aggression? We need to be aware of just what can push someone over the edge, and sometimes our unintentional banter can actually be creating tiny little monsters in otherwise healthy little minds.
Another side of the story is told from the spectators’ point of view. When such incidents occur, some of us react with an all-out emotional disbelief, some become obsessive trying to find out every intricate detail, others talk about it for some time and then soon it becomes ‘just another’ incident, and then we have those who are way too wrapped up in their own lives to give a damn. The way we react to things also bears heavily on the outcome of such cases. There are times when the media will relentlessly pursue leads from unreliable sources and in a country with a flimsy judicial system, this could mean disaster. There are horrific stories of people being wrongfully incarcerated for crimes they haven’t committed and there are equally and more disturbing stories of people who get away on a technicality as insubstantial as being a few months short of the correct age. When things like this occur, what we need to focus on is the fact that justice is primary. Channel ratings and people’s reputations in society really aren’t paramount here. With every act of violence there is loss of much more than what is seen on paper or what is seen on the news. There are others behind the scenes who are very deeply affected like the close family and friends of both victim and the suspect. Being less judgemental and speaking with caution is a key way to stop the negativity and maybe even avoid the birth of a murderous mind.
