07-08-2011, 09:31 PM
I do not know the answer -- the whole thing is horrible..
I do, though, wonder whether, in part, what we see, is not related to a more generalised weak will. It is impossible to imagine what drives people to want to do bad things to children or rape 84 year old women; but why they go ahead and do it is another matter. Whatever your back-ground, you must know: this is not right. But of course Satan is always lurking around, saying, 'Yes, but you want to..' I doubt that the numbers have changed much over the years, but it is an inability to say 'no', which changes someone from being peculiar, to an abuser. Privately, I have no doubt, they say they cannot help themselves ---- but only because their targets are so frail: they would find they could help themselves, if, for example, some old duck produced a gun.
I do also think that while third parties, or society as a whole, may be able to explain behaviour away due to an unfortunate childhood, the one person who cannot do so, is the offender. He, or she, cannnot say 'This happened when I was five, and so I had to do this', because s/he must have had their own, more immediate thoughts and impulses. A part of me thinks they should all be put on a big boat and sunk; but the more reasonable part has not a clue as to how to do better than we are. I am constantly surprised that such people are not terrified of some big brother/uncle/aunt/dad coming and sorting them out --- and yes, I know that it is mostly a family affair.
I do, though, wonder whether, in part, what we see, is not related to a more generalised weak will. It is impossible to imagine what drives people to want to do bad things to children or rape 84 year old women; but why they go ahead and do it is another matter. Whatever your back-ground, you must know: this is not right. But of course Satan is always lurking around, saying, 'Yes, but you want to..' I doubt that the numbers have changed much over the years, but it is an inability to say 'no', which changes someone from being peculiar, to an abuser. Privately, I have no doubt, they say they cannot help themselves ---- but only because their targets are so frail: they would find they could help themselves, if, for example, some old duck produced a gun.
I do also think that while third parties, or society as a whole, may be able to explain behaviour away due to an unfortunate childhood, the one person who cannot do so, is the offender. He, or she, cannnot say 'This happened when I was five, and so I had to do this', because s/he must have had their own, more immediate thoughts and impulses. A part of me thinks they should all be put on a big boat and sunk; but the more reasonable part has not a clue as to how to do better than we are. I am constantly surprised that such people are not terrified of some big brother/uncle/aunt/dad coming and sorting them out --- and yes, I know that it is mostly a family affair.