Hardly a day passes when some barbarous act does not jump to the headlines. Barbarous; there is no other word to describe these vile deeds. Thus, whether it be the sadistic torturing, terrorist beheadings, mass shootings or truck ramming murder sprees (not to mention genocide and war) these acts are becoming ever more common. There is something inexplicable and sinister in such behavior since it seems to go against human nature. Read the following article to find out why.
Why Do People Do Such Barbarous Things?
January 17, 2017 | John Horvat II
Why Do People Do Such Barbarous Things?Hardly a day passes when some barbarous act does not jump to the headlines. Barbarous—there is no other word to describe these vile deeds. Thus, whether it be the sadistic torturing, terrorist beheadings, mass shootings or truck ramming murder sprees (not to mention genocide and war), these acts are becoming ever more common. There is something inexplicable and sinister in such behavior since it seems to go against human nature. Many simply shake their heads and write off such brutal acts of violence as sad testimonies to man’s inhumanity to man. They dare not delve deeper since it might unearth unsettling questions about our society in general. However, if we are going to address this problem, we need to start asking why do people do such barbarous things. Perhaps the easiest way to show why some people do barbarous things is first to determine why people normally do not do them. An explanation can be found by taking a look at two fundamentally good human impulses and a key cardinal virtue.Prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success About Our TimesAddressing a Passionate Concern: To Kalon People normally do not do barbarous things because the most fundamental desires of the human heart go in the opposite direction. By nature, we tend to search out all that is good, true, and beautiful. This first impulse is something that occurs naturally in us and sets in motion powerful movements inside our souls. Aristotle speaks of what he calls to kalon, that is, our passionate concern for all that is elevated, dignified, and noble. It was something he recognized as universally present in the spiritual core of each human being. These highest aspirations of rational and free beings make us capable of acts of dedication, devotion, and even sacrifice for causes perceived as just.When the to kalon is in order, people do not do barbarous things. They seek after the high standards of perfection, beauty or excellence proper to human nature. It gives rise to a vision of life that inspires civilizations. We need only look to the great saints, heroes, and martyrs who converted the barbarians from doing barbarous things by introducing high Christian ideals that appealed to this fundamental impulse.The second human impulse is found in our great desire for plenitude: that is, a sense of satisfaction, wholeness or completeness. Not only do we seek the fullness of the good, true and beautiful, but the fullest manifestation of these desires. Our souls are strongly attracted to that which moves us towards plenitude. We rejoice in this plenitude and never tire in seeking after it.This can be seen in the senses. It is proper for our eyes to see, but we are most drawn to very beautiful objects. When we hear, we experience greater delight by listening to the most beautiful harmonies. Even infants in their primitive reactions shun the ordinary, drably colored ball to go after the Christmas tree ornament that dazzles and sparkles. We naturally tend to the most expressive plenitude of our legitimate desires.Such good desires for plenitude unleash powerful movements within the soul that serve as the foundation of culture. Indeed, throughout history, man has been drawn to extraordinary panoramas, works of art, music, ideas, or heroic feats that have rightly been called sublime. It is not the mere physical aspects of these things that inspire us to action. Rather, it is a rational appreciation of the spiritual qualities of magnificence, vastness, or grandeur that captivate the soul and speed it on its quest towards plenitude.When this desire for plenitude is in order, people do not do barbarous things. Rather they do marvelous deeds. The key to controlling these two impulses is the virtue of temperance. Temperance is the regulating virtue whereby we govern our natural appetites and passions in accordance with the norms prescribed by reason and Faith. Temperance teaches us to desire that which is proper for us and naturally leads to balance, proportion, and magnificence. It allows us to pursue the good, true and beautiful without falling into dangerous fantasies, mental unbalance or errors. It helps us strive wholeheartedly toward the plenitude of these desires without being enslaved by unrestrained passion.characteristic of temperance saying it “withdraws man from things which seduce the appetite from obeying reason” (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 141, a. 2). Thus, temperance restrains but it also frees the person to pursue the fundamental desires of the human heart.When the virtue of temperance is in order, people do not do barbarous things.Why Do We Do Barbarous Things? Once it becomes clear why people do not do barbarous things, it is easier to discern why others do them. The reason is simple. Sin destroys the equilibrium inside
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g84jq4F-Q7E
http://www.tfp.org/exhortation-to-catholic-men-engage-the-fight-step-into-the-breach/
http://www.tfp.org/harvard-s-black-mass-and-demonic-action/
http://www.tfp.org/harvard-s-black-mass-and-demonic-action/
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