

The Human Capacity To Kill - joelrunyon
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/opinion/brooks-when-the-good-do-bad.htm?_r=4

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duaneb
I love reading Brooks; a thoughtful, intellectual conservative is a real
treat. However, this is not about politics; another treat.

Like everyone else, I've had my share of fantasies---mostly about getting rich
& famous, but, yes, sometimes homicidal fantasies. Living with depression,
I've also had fantasies of self harm. The key with these type of situations
you'd normally like to avoid is to never put yourself in a situation where you
can fulfill them, because _humans are creatures of extraordinary every
insanity_. We can delude ourselves into thinking the strangest things are
normal.

In the case of the serial killer, he deluded himself into thinking that it was
alright---perhaps even good---to do what he did. Unfortunately, he was also in
a position to carry out his fantasy. More and more, when thinking about war,
I've come to the conclusion that it destroys soldiers. People should not be
subject to the kinds of stresses that soldiers deal with daily, and if we must
go to war, we should not continually subject the same people to year after
year of the frontline, the way people are today.

