Have
you ever heard of Hedonic Adaptation?
War is Hell, and the sinning is delightful. (part
2)
Put simply, it is the reason why
the amount of Nutella you put on your drumstick gets larger with each passing
day, until you get tired of it. We all experience this little bitch in one
facet of our life or another. The reason we exist and push onward as ethical, sexual, political,
intellectual etc... creatures is because of a need for new and exciting
additions to our personal experiences.
The experiences of war
(especially of those who have indulged in the savaged privileges granted to
them by unnatural positions of authority in foreign lands) have irreversible
effects on a man's appetites in ways you would be fascinated to hear an NPR
report about. As with the previously
mentioned lack of recruitment standards, a whole lot of Bill & Ted's with
preexisting fascinating appetites were given clean slates after a retreat to an
environment in which they were pretty much allowed to get away with rape and
murder.
You may not be aware of it. You
may deny it. Doesn't change the fact that the world is a hard and tragic place
that does produce people with certain quirks and kinks in their minds. For an
assortment of "logical and ethical" reasons they are perfectly normal
at least in their own eyes. Then they are just sent home and out of respect
granted the don't ask, don't tell
policy in regard to their experiences.
Their extracurricular proclivities simply never entered public view.
Sighting down my scope, I realized
that I don't know what to do about any of these issues. I can't do anything about the numerous
teachers, preachers, politicians, and god knows who or what else that get away
with such despicable deeds. Many just
slip through the cracks of bureaucracy only to commit savage acts yet again.
I honestly believe you can never
know the mind of another man. Thus I can't pronounce with absolutely certainty
that I was correct, but the look Bill and Ted had through my scope left me
without a shred of doubt that they aimed to misbehave that day.
In their minds eye they are perfectly normal for
a conglomeration of logical and ethical self redeeming delusions. But when I look into the mirror eyes of men like Bill and Ted, I
see a creature who knows how much more intense and satisfying it is to take
without permission. To gnaw at a thighbone with claws and teeth covered in mud
and blood.
As I watch Bill and Ted start to
descend towards the sun bathing girl, I remembered something some talking head
Wall Street prick said in an interview.
He was going on about his belief in the "Falling Tree
Methodology." What's that, you ask? If a tree falls in the woods, and no
one is there to notice, then it's legal. That was his legal, ethical moral
guiding tool. The CNN bloke or whoever was interviewing him just nodded and
agreed, as if this is the new norm.
When you are deployed, everyone
knows everyone if not directly, then by association via rumors and stories.
Based on what everyone knew about Bill and Ted, I knew they subscribed to that
man's sort of methodology. When we returned home, I couldn't let it go. After a while I began shadowing Bill and Ted
from time to time. Eventually, I found myself watching them through the scope of
a barrowed rifle as they stalked to rape a girl in the middle of the woods. Perhaps, come to think of it, they might have
just been trying to kidnap her. But then, definitely rape her, I would bet.
Do details like that matter to
you?
Hi Mia/Nony -- really interesting post(s) though I'm not sure I fully understand. So I'll just post some questions and comments:
ReplyDelete1. Are Bill & Ted real? Am I missing an explosive NPR expose? Or fiction?
2. Disagree with the point that the notion of sin has lost all meaning in the modern world. The notion of right and wrong -- which is different than sin -- have been incalculably cheapened. But the notion of "sin" is very much alive and lies at the root of a great deal of modern proselytizing (i.e., "sinful" to have unmarried intercourse, "sinful" to worship a different God, "sinful" to have female priests, blah, blah). Seems to me that much of modern morality is founded upon guilt for "sins" as opposed to a broader ethical model of right and wrong.
3. Not familiar with Hedonic Adaptation, will have to look it up. I do think Colin Campbell's theory of Imaginative Hedonism is a good read. Relevant in understanding our modern materialistic society and our alienation from it . . . seems somewhat similar to Hedonic Adaptation.
4. So the Hedonic Adaptation theory leads to our story of Bill & Ted (fiction?).
5. From speaking with people in the military (I'm in the DC area, so there are plenty of them), yes, the military takes gung-ho 18 yos who think they're entering a cool, shoot 'em up, super immersive game of Modern Warfare, BUT . . . the military is very cognizant of this challenge and the focus of training is to get these hyperactive teens with machine guns settled down, i.e., the focus of training is short circuit any tendencies toward Hedonic Adaptation.
Anyway, enjoy reading the blog -- look forward to some more posts.
-- ETK