© Pierre Maré,
2004 - 2007
Offbeat 05
A member of one of the more fundamentalist sects once pointed out to me an interesting manifestation of Satan. According to my acquaintance definitive proof of Satan’s existence lay in the fact that evil lamas in Tibet have snakes floating above their heads and can kill an individual from miles away merely by thinking dire and deadly thoughts about him.
I never miss an opportunity for a bit of fun and duly noted that there are people who can kill tens, if not hundreds, of thousands from greater distances, by pressing the conspicuous red button on the console in front of them. I also noted that they don’t have to go to the effort of thinking. All they have to do is follow orders. Unfortunately the conversation died there.
I have a certain fondness for lamas with airborne snakes, though I never want to meet one. I am not above the pleasure of a good horror story every now and then. There’s a definite thrill to the unknown terror that lurks in the dark, as long as the story is fresh, the special effect is good and the creature remains imaginary.
Flesh-and-blood humans are a scarier proposition. Consider the people who irritate you the most; one of your bosses, a supplier or client, or a particularly squeaky receptionist who takes smug pride in denying you desperately needed access to one of the offices behind her. Is it strangulation, a sharpened stake or something more lingering that first springs to mind?
As much as imagination is our gift, it is also our curse. If there is a way to cause mayhem, death and destruction, we will find it and improve on it.
Without imagination, we would be nowhere. The benefit of imagination is our ability to translate a notion, no matter how outrageous, into reality. Seventy years ago, walking on the moon was the improbable terrain of the science fiction pulp. Fifty years ago, the same pulps told tall tales of personal computing. And who could ever have though that someone would actually take the step of brewing alcohol-free beer? For better or worse, imagination has a tendency to become commonplace reality, no matter how long it takes.
It’s the same with violence. Imagine it, take action, and sooner or later nobody will complain because they are used to it and it’s boring already.
Large-scale violence, destruction and geopolitical ambition have achieved the status of entertainment. As we become accustomed to images and numbers that should make our stomachs churn, but don’t, we become more jaded and seek out better diversions. And there is always someone out there to provide the entertainment for which we are so starved.
As evidence, I offer the satellite news feeds, a key input into our collective consciousness, and entertainment on an epic scale. Seen any murders or armed robberies with dramatic shootouts on the satellite news lately? Probably not: they are too small and local, though you can pick up those stories in video stores alongside the stories of lamas and their snakes.
The stories that pull news ratings are war, genocide and massive natural disasters. They keep us tuned in and stir our imagination, in spite of the fact that, for those of us not in the immediate vicinity, the events will have little impact on our lives.
Maybe we should try to fill our imaginations with something different. But would that be entertaining?
I don’t believe that Satan is out there, standing at some lonely crossroads with a bright smile and a contract detailing the sale of a human soul. That’s probably just a property developer or a real estate agent with an offer on a thirty-year mortgage.
If there is a true manifestation of evil it must be the product of imagination: the ugly result of unresolved anger, desperate frustration and unfulfilled need. It’s the inherent flipside of the coin that is our soul.
Perhaps
there is an evil lama somewhere out there, diligently attempting to teach
snakes to fly. Don’t be dispirited or scared though. We have our
defenses. We can always imagine something far worse.
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