In the movie The Wisdom of Crocodiles, serial killer (Jude Law) tells cop (Timothy Spall) that people try to fight evil by attempting to separate the criminals from the rest of the society "but the line that divides good and evil lies in the heart of every man".
Humans are described in traditional chinese philosophy as the bridge between heaven (yang) and earth (yin).
The human is viewed as being part mammal and part divine, a talking animal or a naked ape. Human beings are a mixture of spirit and matter continually torn between animal instincts and divine aspirations.
Animals aren't evil. And the divine is obviously divine. But somehow the human being has a double nature capable of great genius, compassion, creative accomplishment and spiritual wisdom, on the one hand and unspeakable cruelty, destruction and violence on the other.
There is a continual quest for perfection and a need to be superhuman or godlike combined with an ongoing fascination with evil.
The war between good and evil is conceived inside the individual psyche first and is then replayed in the world at large.
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Monday, 28 January 2008
The Curse of the Divided Self
