As promised, and as it must be, does this excerpt of my thoughts continue. The previous part of this single train of thought centered more around the utilization of excuse's as the main tool of humans; the use of excuses to pardon and justify our actions in every manner. Now, the actions themselves must be examined, for if the actions are not scrutinized, then it only leaves reign for more excuses to clutter the issue.
The actions of humans are...spontaneous at best. We never know, when faced with a situation, just how a human will react. When we view an animal in it's natural setting, we more or less know how it will act. Making assumptions on the course of an animal's actions has become a science; there are volumes upon volumes of field studies, telling around what time a specific animal eats, what animals it coexists with, which animals pose a threat. Such things can be proved by reenacting the actions in a closed area, of course. It is all worked down to a science, and animal's are hardly unpredictable. When an animal's actions does become, however, drastic measures are put into action, and the unfortunate animal earns a spot in the daily news for all the world to see, as if to say "We apologize for not predicting such actions to occur. The problem has been adequately handled, and there is no more danger present." After a while, people forgive, and finally forget, the whole situation. Soon enough, a new study is made, and someone somewhere discovers some genetic defect or another in the animal that caused it to act so erratically, and measures are taken to prevent it from happening again; it is worked down to a science, the study of animals.
Do we so easily forget that we are animals as well?
Yes, our functions as living organisms are far greater than most creatures. Yes, we have a greater capacity for thought, yes, we have the power of speech, yes, we stand upright, yet we cannot be considered more than animals. Animal's have displayed an ability to vocalize certain words if repeated enough; some animals can stand on two feet for small periods of time; some animals have demonstrated a greater capacity for thought then we were want to believe. We may have these 'greater functions', but we have more than adequately displayed out tendency to become more animal than the common animal. Animals' actions can be rendered to a science; things are not so easy with us. Psychology is the study of our actions, and within the psychological field of study are several schools. History has provided us with several geniuses in the field, such as Freud and Jung, and yet today the human mind still baffles us. Right when we think we understand the complex processes of the human mind, another human commits an atrocious act, and we cannot handle the extremity of the actions. We cannot fathom how it is possible that a human being can commit an act so violent, so demented, so brutal, so INhuman. Our own actions are unpredictable, and science, however futile, attempts to keep pace with these disturbing developments. In our study of our own actions, our attempt at excuses again come's into play:
"It was an act of passion; it is understandable, if not pardonable."
"Your honor, the defendant has been claimed legally insane, and therefore cannot be accounted for his actions."
"He has a rare disorder of the brain, it causes such behavior..."
And yes, these are more conclusions, more reasons, and less of excuses, but the point is that it is as if we are beyond simply admitting to our actions. We cannot simply say "Yes, I did it of my own free will." We must hire lawyers to lie and weasel for us, because we have lost so much of our dignity.
We have caused ourselves to fall farther than we care to see. As I sat contemplating these things, I thought of this, and penned it down:
"We ascend this life in steps, and each man finds he is content on one step or another. On a given day, a man will call to us from down below, and finding some benefit in aiding him, we descend the steps to his level, assist him, and turn back to return to our original seats. Only then do we realize just how high we have placed ourselves, so far above these others, and just how absurd it is that we were there. Unable to rationalize our reasons, we erect our new thrones upon this lower step, and cast those above us back down below. If our actions go unseen, than we can seem modest, say that we lowered ourselves to be closer to the people, when in reality, we were simply too afraid to make our far climb, and too afraid to fall any farther. Our actions were made out of fear, and greed, and want, and little do we know that we have fallen so much farther than we could possibly imagine."
This whole life we live is nothing but one long fall, because we refuse to settle for less, to just react out for a ledge and be content staying there. As we fall, we only look up, looking for more, looking to a point we will never reach. Such hungry, starving, despicable things we are. We follow our commandments, our rules, our creeds, only to have our actions betray us. Wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. Behold a list of our actions by other names. Wrath: Our seeking of vengeance against those who have wronged us. Greed: This extravagance we see on television, owning thirty cars, spending more than our pitiful existence is worth. Sloth: Our refusal to do more than simply exist. Pride: The endless human need to appear great, to stand out against all others, to erect a personal throne. Lust: This false sense of love we have created, and what most of us practice. Envy: Our aspirations for more than we need, to be the head chair, the boss, the king. and Gluttony: Our insatiable appetite for all of our other actions. This circle of life we were meant to live has become a vicious circle, the snake consuming his own tail. These 'sins', human action by another name, have nothing to do with the religion that created them. They existed before they had names, and will exist far after those who envisioned them are long gone. Listing these 'sins' under the figurehead of religion is just another excuse, one to condemn other men and women, to put them below us, so we may better enact our pride, and our lust, and quench our envy.
So are our actions. Unexplainable, for those who do not wish them to be explained. But, just scratch beneath the surface, and we find some semblance of an explanation, if we do not create excuses first.
Again, there are no questions to be asked. Say what you will.
-Aluraune
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