Anyway I was writing an assignment on Gandhian Philosophy, when I started to really think about the subject (rarely happens with studies). Gandhi was an interesting guy to say the least, and a lot of people believe that he is the template for the perfect human being.
This got me thinking about the polar opposite. I started thinking about people like Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, and of course the latest terrorist group to make headlines ISIS.Well the main thing I thought about is how can these people, clear contrasts, exist in the same world. The conclusion I came to was an interesting albeit cheesy Sci-Fi quote from the television series Fringe:
"Human beings are infinitely capable at birth"
Even though the quote is meant to convey the message that human beings can possess an infinite mental capacity, I think it can also be applied on a social level. Everyone reaches where they are because of circumstances in life. Who is to say that if you and I were born in some god-forsaken village in Afghanistan controlled by one of the numerous terrorist groups present in today's world we wouldn't be beheading foreigners for what we presume to be right. And who is to say we might have also been as great as Nelson Mandela under the very same oppression and showed a righteous path to the others.
Everyone is born with an infinite capacity for good as well as evil, it all depends on how life treats us and what gets thrown our way. I believe the most important thing is to filter out the negative and not let it make too much of an impression on us, because slowly in our minds that negative experience may become an absolute truth.
I'd like to end this post by a quote by musician Eddie Vedder about the various war torn countries and the general state of affairs in the world today:
"It hurts no matter which side the bombs fall on."
Good one! Nice choice of illustration :-)
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