Reply #133: So, we really don't see things too differently... [View All]

[Vektor]

But I would willingly wager to say that you are likely more evolved than I am in how you deal with your anger toward those who would harm the innocent. I sometimes do wish that bad things would happen to puppy abusers and rapists. I guess that there is a part of me that still has a bit of a "bloodthirsty" streak when it comes to defending the defenseless.

But I do recognize that this is a trait that needs to be kept in check, and it would be wise to try to embrace a more civil approach to things like crime and punishment. I cannot always help the negative feelings I have, but have enough self-control to abstain from actually doing harm to others, or encouraging harm to be done in the name of vengeance.

I haven't yet reached the point where I would be inclined to place myself in the position of the loved ones of the perp, and feel empathy, though I can very successfully do that in the place of the victim's family. You have reached a higher level of temperance than I have in that respect. I don't know if I'll ever get there, but I can say that as an ICU nurse I have had to care for patients who are inmates, shackled to the bed with chains and cuffs, and two armed guards present at every second because the patient/prisoner is a danger to everyone around him. The last such patient I had was in the hospital with a sub-dural hematoma from a scuffle at San Quentin, he's been there for 20 years because he murdered his wife. I was able to just do my job and care for him the same as I would any other patient despite the horror of his crime. I didn't even think about it so much in that context until after I got home. Then, I was less angry with him, and just more detached, and maybe a little baffled as to how someone could do that. But still, while at work, I just focused on doing what I get paid to do - keep people alive.

So, I guess I can have temperance when I need to, but when I hear stories like these acid attacks, it just triggers my reptilian brain and my baser instincts perk up. It's a flaw, I guess. :shrug: