It begs the question
WHY??? The
answers may not be all that complicated. But our species seems to be at
a point in its evolution when dealing with this issue is an idea whose
time has come.
Life on the planet evolved from
and remains
closely linked to the sea. Our bodies, like those of the other
creatures,
are composed mostly of water. We are essentially containers of this
water
that have gained the ability to get out of the sea and move about on
the
land.
These containers are like
so many
plastic bags of fluid with a kind of on-board bio-computer whose
primary
function is to protect the structural integrity of the bag. A hole in
the
bag means that the water ends up in the sea again unless something is
done
quickly.
So the prime directive of these
computers
is survival. Over the eons they have evolved specialized sensory
apparatus
and various kinds of appendages that protrude not just into space, but
into time as well. In combination the complexity of their functions
allows
the consideration of even abstractions.
Our bodies must maintain
temperature, salinity,
acidity, and other conditions very similar to ocean water and within a
remarkably narrow range of tolerance. We have a whole set of more or
less
automatic built-in defenses to maintain these conditions.
Evolution facilitated the
ability to move
about, procreate, and defend ourselves. So our brains are hard-wired to
scan for anything that may be threatening. Our eyes and ears and
attention
tune in on these first. Threatening data overrides other data by
definition.
In the order of things to be considered by our bio-computers, whatever
is flagged with the greatest emotion takes precedence, gets our
attention
first.
When we come to the limits of
reason we
intuit. It's that simple. You can hold your breath until you pass out
but
you then automatically start breathing again. Similarly you can
regulate
your emotions up to a certain point but beyond that your actions become
more or less automatic.
The "fight
or flight" response for example is a deeply ingrained behavior
mechanism.
It is a conditioned response but also genetic to some extent. A newborn
animal is capable of remarkably complex behavior. It is this threshold
of self-control that is to be considered in trying to understand the
gap
between our thoughts and our actions that makes us human. It is this
that
distinguishes us from the other animals.
Anger
is called a "toxic emotion" because it's bad for your
heart,
immune
system and your spirit. But being angry can be exciting, and
anger drives people to confront grievous social wrongs.
If you have tried to watch TV
on a set
that has only a few channels, you may not be able to find a
single
channel that isn't violent
in content. The reason violence and bad news get an audience is
that
these are the lowest common denominators. If you wonder why media
newscasts
are not about what is right, but rather about what is wrong with the
world,
the answer is fairly simple: money.
Whatever will get the largest number
of viewers is what a sponsor will pay for. Our brains are
hard-wired
to scan for anything that may be threatening.
Eventually the media may have
enough bandwidth
that there can be some real diversity. Meanwhile it behooves us to be
discerning about what we consider to be entertaining. One of the
problems
with ever-escalating violence is that we become numb to it. We become indifferent
to violence. Exploiting the pain of others for profit is bad enough
but the indifference is far worse.
Practically every new actor who
comes along
sells out to make an “action” film because it is an almost automatic formula
for profit. But each one needs to be successively more graphic in
its
content. Ultra-violence
has become the catch phrase. NO, thanks! Giving them five or ten
dollars
only encourages them! Take
a stand, just say no. You could even write
to the Studios, or take some other action.
How many times have you been to
the movies
expecting amusement, only to be subjected to ultra-violence? If you
have
even moderate sensibilities this kind of assault to the senses amounts
to a kind of psychic rape. It is based on an assumption by the
producers
that you won't be able to look away just like driving past a bad car
wreck.
It takes courage to get up and
walk out,
especially if you demand a refund. But this is a message that Hollywood
will hear loud and clear. Only a popular wave of boycott
actions will turn this pathetic tide. Hopefully there will be web sites
(not owned
by the media giants,) where you could check for violent content before
attending
a movie or perhaps even choose an alternative known to have no violence.
The philosophical
content here is “Got a problem? Get a gun.” By the time a teenager
gets
out of high school he/she has been exposed to something like 18,000
hours
of this, on average. And we are now pumping it into third world
countries.
Statistics of the average number of acts of violence per hour in the
media
are staggering. The way we view each other and even ourselves is all
too
little changed from the darker anthropomorphic, superstitious behavior
of the Neolithic or Neanderthal.
The difference between our
technological
achievements and our sociological achievements can no longer be
tolerated
since we have in our hands the keys to complete destruction of our
species
and our world as we know it. We are faced with extinction if we cannot
stop killing each other. One after another of our institutions
is failing and we cannot seem to stop.
What is needed is overview.
Mythologist,
Joseph
Campbell pointed out that the words of the great teachers and
prophets
are metaphors about these world views and it has been our failure to
understand
these metaphors that has been the root of violence and war. By
failing
to comprehend the bigger picture of reality we are stuck with the
metaphor.
For example in Beirut,
Christian, Jewish,
and Moslem are killing each other over different interpretations of truth,
each claiming their interpretation must needs invalidate each
other.
Mr. Campbell said that what is needed is for each to understand and
carry
out their own metaphor, the "Golden Rule."
Up to about the time of Charles
Darwin,
the central theme in literature pictured man as the protagonist in a
cosmic
struggle between the forces of good and evil, under the special
protection
of God Almighty, who gave man "dominion over the earth." This had
conferred
on our species a sense of self that was heroic as the philosophical
context
of this divine drama was concerned primarily with nobility of that
struggle
under divine auspices.
This nobility was the essential
element
in our literature, art and education for a very long time. Now however,
literature and the media no longer pictures us as the chosen
protagonists
in a divine drama. This most ancient self-perception has been clouded
and
confused by the complexity of contemporary times. Dominion has dwindled
into mere exploitation.
Our art and literature are
increasingly
experienced through a media
that no longer pictures man as the chosen species, but instead portrays
humankind as a mere pawn in the struggle for the survival of the
fittest,
as merely a kind of aliens in a world of forces beyond control or
comprehension.
Gone are the religious
considerations for
the most part, and often the nobility as well. Indeed, at this time in
history we have a unique opportunity to come to an overview of humanity
that integrates differences into a unified whole that completes our
individual
identity and is individually and universally healing.
Finding a synthesis and
interpretation
of a greater reality inspires us to accept our full potential and
realize
who we really are. Weapons of mass destruction are not the problem,
indifference
is. The challenge is to re-invest our attention with caring and a sense
of awe and wonderment and reverence for life itself.
1-800-end-abuse - This number is a nation wide number
where you can get
referals to a facility in your area. Please use these tools to get the
help you need. Even check your local paper for meetings, phone book for
crisis lines. Things can change for you and you can live a normal life.
