Psychotic Acts of Suicidal Destruction

I was flipping through the old stacks of newspapers to be sent for recycling when I came across the news of the London Bombings. It has been a while since the London bombings and September 11 events had passed. In fact, it would be just another day of our lives if not for the undeniable fact that numberous lives were lost without a fair fight. If there was an issue that needs to be resolved through a fight, then settle it with honor and grace, not through sheer atomisation.

When I first saw the news on the London bombing, my attention did not pan towards the terrorists, for it was their aim added with a sinister smile, and I refused to submit to it. Instead, my heart went out to the Londoners and all who were affected by terrorism and carried on their way of life in the face of such danger and atrocity.

Those acts of terrorism were barbaric. It knew no age, no race, no religion. It was and will always be just indiscriminate killings. Preaches of such ideology are nothing more than just providing a facade of power to cover for their cowardice for a life they cannot face up to society and had to resort to mass psychotic acts of suicidal destruction.

As quoted from Prime Minister Tony Blair,

"It's important however that those engaged in terrorism realise that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world.

Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilised nations throughout the world."

He said it without a script, without planning, but with careful use of words. His face was full of resolute and control despite the disasterous events. It was that speech he made that made me respect him, every word was his heartfelt words, and mine too.

Another quote from Mayor of London Ken Livingstone,

"I want to say one thing specifically to the world today. This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful. It was not aimed at Presidents or Prime Ministers. It was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old. It was an indiscriminate attempt to slaughter, irrespective of any considerations for age, for class, for religion, or whatever.

That isn't an ideology, it isn't even a perverted faith - it is just an indiscriminate attempt at mass murder and we know what the objective is. They seek to divide Londoners. They seek to turn Londoners against each other. I said yesterday to the International Olympic Committee, that the city of London is the greatest in the world, because everybody lives side by side in harmony. Londoners will not be divided by this cowardly attack. They will stand together in solidarity alongside those who have been injured and those who have been bereaved and that is why I'm proud to be the mayor of that city.

Finally, I wish to speak directly to those who came to London today to take life.

I know that you personally do not fear giving up your own life in order to take others - that is why you are so dangerous. But I know you fear that you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society and I can show you why you will fail.

In the days that follow look at our airports, look at our sea ports and look at our railway stations and, even after your cowardly attack, you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world will arrive in London to become Londoners and to fulfil their dreams and achieve their potential.

They choose to come to London, as so many have come before because they come to be free, they come to live the life they choose, they come to be able to be themselves. They flee you because you tell them how they should live. They don't want that and nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail."

These speeches and statements are testimony to the freedom that we all stand for. I salute those who fought bravely against terrorism, but it is a shadowy enemy, unseen and untouchable, but the fight shall go on. Our forefathers had paid for our freedom with their sweat and blood, it is with honor and respect that we shall hold on to that freedom with iron resolve and never let go till our last breath escapes us.

Reminiscence

It all started with a song. The song of an angel's voice, the soft whisper - intoxicating, captivating. It brought me to a drifting slumber, embraced in a swirling dream of the past, dancing in a slow monochrome waltz. With each breath, I felt the essence, the soul of the time, emanating and engulfing me in a blanket of warmth. A cascade of emotions overwhelmed me, feelings of the past, of trepidation and jubilation, feelings long forgotten. The song is Ayumi Hamasaki - Dearest.

It was just another song upon my stacks of albums, but due to fate, I chanced upon this song and old memories came back to me, memories of a person who presence I had begun to take for granted, memories of uncertainty, memories of happiness. They were stacked framed and sealed in my heart, like albums gone dusty from years of being untouched. And there, a song took it out, dusted it and added luster to a fading image, of a time where it all began; to a time where I met my dearest.

It is amazing how music is able to capture life in a string of notes, playing the ups and downs of life in its melody, giving a sense of serenity within its mathematical complexity. The soulful aspect of memories is that it gives us comfort, of knowing that we made it despite the odds of that time, that it build us and make us each a person in our own rights. But over time these memories fade into oblivion, to a mere white wash against a black backdrop of a void in our minds. Perhaps it is due to the busy schedules of life or the hectic strive for the As in the numerous hordes of examinations, that these memories in every one of us are fading. Or is it just that we are afraid of the past, of the mistakes that we made, of the people we upset, that we cannot face up to these people even in memory.

But well, even as we stop to ponder, the sails of time is gently passing by us, never stopping. We could only watch in wonder as the world of events unfold its page upon us, and leading us towards a new adventure again, but if given a chance, to dust away the speckles of dust upon those frames, I shall look upon them and smile, glad of those times, of those memories, of those loved ones.

The following is the song Dearest by Ayumi Hamasaki in Japanese followed by an English translation (courtesy of letssingit.com)

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(Japanese)

hontou ni taisetsu na mono igai subete sugete
shimaetara ii no ni ne
genjitsu wa tada zankoku de

sonna toki itsu datte
me o tojireba
waratteru kimi ga iru

itsuka eien no nemuri ni tsuku hi made
dou ka sono egao ga
taema naku aru you ni

hito wa minna kanashii kara
wasurete yuku ikimono dakedo

aisubeki mono no tame
ai o kureru mono no tame dekiru koto

deatta ano koro wa
subete ga bukiyou de
toomawari shita yo ne
kizutsuke atta yo ne

itsuka eien no nemuri ni tsuku hi made
dou ka sono egao ga
taema naku aru you ni

deatta ano koro wa
subete ga bukiyou de
toomawari shita yo ne
tadoritsuitan da ne

--------------------

(English)

It would be nice if we could put away and throw out
everything except what really mattered, but
reality is just cruel.

In such times,
I see you laughing
whenever I close my eyes.

Until the day I reach eternal sleep,
that smiling face will
have to stay with me without fail.

People are all sad, so
they go and forget, but--

For that which I should love,
For that which gives me love, I will do what I can.

Back then, when we met,
it was all awkward.
We went the long way, didn't we?
We got hurt, didn't we?

Until the day I reach eternal sleep,
that smiling face will
have to stay with me without fail.

Back then, when we met,
it was all awkward.
We went the long way, didn't we?
We got there in the end.

Information!

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Conviction Of The Loyal

The edge of adamantium seeps my blood,
Dreadful of an angel's star,
Fall upon my breathen comrade,
Peace I wish,
May come thus far.

Even in fear, I am convicted to my loyalty, and shall cast mine too.

A Question Of Love

Yesterday I was watching a Japanese animation, "Inuyasha" Episode 47: Onigumo's Heart Still Beats Within Naraku. For the benefit of those who have no idea what Inuyasha is, here is a brief overview - Inuyasha is a dog half demon traveling with a band of people, fighting demons and recovering shards of a broken crystal that could grant its bearer great gifts and a whole crystal could grant you any wish. Though it may look to some as linear, simplistic "I'll fight you till I die" genre, however, it has a deeper aspect that is commonly overlooked by its massive fan base, life and love.

In that particular episode, Inuyasha is placed in a unique situation that probably will not occur in our world. He has a choice, to choose a lady whom he had loved deeply, and had made him who he is in character sense, or a young girl, whom has stuck with him through thick and thin for the past couple of months, caring for him and loved him, though not admitting to do so. The catch is, his past love was killed by him, as he was manipulated into doing so, and later was resurrected, while the new girl is the reincarnation of that same girl he loved, same soul 2 bodies, who shall he choose. Though both are essentially the same bodily and spiritually, but they are also wholly different people. His past love is serious, kind, and pure of heart while the new girl is willful, and cheerful, 2 opposite characters. This leads me to a small research, coming up with this simple question, I asked a couple of people and searched the net for answers.

This is how the question goes:

Let me ask you a hypothetical question, assuming that
1. Reincarnation exists
2. Time travel exists
3. Soul can be shared amongst the same person of different reincarnations
4. Resurrection exists

Now, situation:
1) You have a love, with a long history with you and both of you loved each other deeply. However, you were tricked into killing her and she died, cremated. 500 years into the future, she is reincarnated and through some fated events, she traveled back in time, no recollection of her past life, but likes you and you spend a couple of months with her. But during that time, someone or something resurrected you're past love, with all memories intact, and she looks for you. Now faced with this choice, whom will you choose to go with? Which love shall stand, knowing that they are both essentially the same person with the same soul but from different times.

2) Knowing this extra information, that your past love is a serious lady, but loving and pure of heart, while the future reincarnation is willful and cheerful, a starkly different person, total opposite of your past love. Will you change your choice?

The answers I have gained from people (6 guys and 1 lady) were similar. All except for the lady had chosen the past love, and had said that since they had a longer history with the girl and therefore they would have more feelings for her, while another added the aspect of guilt in returning to her. 2 of them gave me unique answers, a guy said that he would return to who ever came to him first, while the lady said it is impossible to choose, as good or bad, the changes in them, we will not know. And finally for the second question, all had chosen to stick with their first answer.

It was an interesting insight on people among a similar age group. From this I can see certain loyalty, understanding of, a need for emotions to be fulfilled, and the sentimental value of past happenings in them. Comparing these to what I found on the net, was unnerving. I am surprised to find that the choices and reasoning found were worlds apart from that of the people I had questioned, and that the nature of men, could be easily seen from these answers, though I may be a male too.

Given the choices, many chose the future girl, and the reasoning is cuteness. (Note that I had intentionally left out the aspect of looks in my questionnaire) In the animation, both girls were dressed differently; the past was dressed in the pre-meji era clothing of Japan, while the other is in a stereotypical sailor uniform commonly found in anime. This surprised me that people would be shallow enough to view and even weigh the value of love and sentiments on physical appearances. Perhaps this is the reason why the number of divorce cases is increasing yearly, along with rising marriage numbers. Many people are getting married for the wrong reasons! Maybe the next time you were to meet up with your other half, look into their eyes and see the reason why they are with you. Is it for physical appearances or some other shallow ideals that they have?

One thing I have learnt from this is that love is a complicated issue at hand, and not many are capable or ready to handle it. A question one should ask, is the feeling a facade of love, and instead of lust and infatuation? The choice that I would have made is that of the past love, for love is something that transcends boundaries, of the spiritual and physical realm. As Inuyasha has said the following in a similar context, if she wished upon her death that she shall join me in my death, then I shall lay down my life for her, for she has laid down hers for mine. And I share the same sentiments.

The Future From Within

"That man can destroy life is just as miraculous a feat as that he can create it, for life is the miracle, the inexplicable. In the act of destruction, man sets himself above life; he transcends himself as a creature. Thus, the ultimate choice for a man, inasmuch as he is driven to transcend himself, is to create or to destroy, to love or to hate."

-Erich Fromm, The Sane Society

Faces ashen with despair, minds deluged with decadent thoughts, history repeating itself. The hallmark of every major civilization, stagnancy, decadency, authoritarianism, are beginning to rear its fangs, permeating its vicious trend of the downfall of morality as we know of, and rise of anarchism. Are we reaching the edge of the morality cliff - to fall into a bottomless pit where distrust and devastation is part of everyday life, a life humanity has fought so hard to keep away from for centuries, a chilling forecast of a dystopian future for mankind?

Every country except the United States, whom has adopted presidential democracy, delved into authoritarianism. The human psychology is unique, despite millennia of evolution, we retained a common basic trait, the need for power. Be it genetically endowed or an aspect of parascience, it is puzzling to see that other Animalia of this world does not show this trait. Though there are similarities in territorialism, they do not indulge in the subjugation of their own species. Why do humans find joy in such act is still a mystery, perhaps in the future we may even develop technique to remove sections of the brain that give rise to such behavior - chilling thought, and yes such techniques do exist, and it is applied for certain extreme psychotic illnesses.

I do remember reading an article where a scientist once classified mankind as a virus life form. It was also stated that other than viruses, man too spreads exponentially and consumes in a devastating manner. Ergo, this leads us to a couple of interesting questions. Are we a plague of this world or part of its complex immune system that emplaces a feedback mechanism, which restarts a cycle of development every time an organism reaches a stated limit? If not, why then are there no other Animalia that falls under this category? Perhaps this will be another question left unanswered.

Maybe if one day, someone were to ask you, what is your purpose in life, you should proudly say "To spread humanity exponentially and consume this world to its core!" Or perhaps we should just seek reprieve amongst the various religions upon this world and hope for the best.