Weapons
My birthday was recently, and one of the gifts I received from a thoughtful friend was a set of three very real, very sharp, and very beautiful Samurai swords. This gift, although fantastic, could obviously pose a threat to the safety of any fool who decided to play with it. With that in mind, and a general pacifist mindset, the powers that be decided that it was probably not a good idea for me to keep these swords. Although we came to a compromise, the end result had me thinking. The worry was that the swords were weapons, and a peace loving creature would harbor no weapons. The worry was that the objects were dangerous.
The way I saw it, the swords were going to stay in a place where they were not reachable by those who would not be mature enough to handle it. I had also planned to make them very difficult to get to, so no flash of curiosity could cause harm. On a wall, away from any who would handle it, I see the swords as not being dangerous. I think that danger comes from situations. If, say, the swords were in the hands of an eight year old, who would use the weapon destructively, then yes they would be dangerous. In the hands of a trained blademaster who saw no need for violence, they wouldn’t be.
The conclusion I drew from all of this was that we aren’t predisposed to be anything. An intelligent person could be completely harmless and ineffective if he was never taught anything, or could be a destructive violent force if he was taught the wrong things, and was taught to be evil. As children, I believe that we are molded. When born, I believe that we are a product of what surrounds us, what teaches us, and what we experience. I also believe that those who become the most independent and the most wise are those who are presented with many experiences and guided over the course of their young lives, as opposed to those who are spoon fed ideas, beliefs, and such by their parents.
I’ve often had the debate about whether we are born good or bad. I believe that the evidence supports the fact that we are tremendously influenced by our surroundings. What I’d like to say is not that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be influenced, but that we should realize what is influencing us and consider it as a factor in making our decisions. When you decide to take a step, I believe it’s important to consider whether that decision may be being influenced by something in your environment. It’s better to try and consider all of the angles now than have to face them again later. The truth is, we could all be weapons. We could be made into one, made so that we never become one, or as I would most
prefer, shown the results of each, given a sense of right and wrong, and allowed to make our own decision.
The way I saw it, the swords were going to stay in a place where they were not reachable by those who would not be mature enough to handle it. I had also planned to make them very difficult to get to, so no flash of curiosity could cause harm. On a wall, away from any who would handle it, I see the swords as not being dangerous. I think that danger comes from situations. If, say, the swords were in the hands of an eight year old, who would use the weapon destructively, then yes they would be dangerous. In the hands of a trained blademaster who saw no need for violence, they wouldn’t be.
The conclusion I drew from all of this was that we aren’t predisposed to be anything. An intelligent person could be completely harmless and ineffective if he was never taught anything, or could be a destructive violent force if he was taught the wrong things, and was taught to be evil. As children, I believe that we are molded. When born, I believe that we are a product of what surrounds us, what teaches us, and what we experience. I also believe that those who become the most independent and the most wise are those who are presented with many experiences and guided over the course of their young lives, as opposed to those who are spoon fed ideas, beliefs, and such by their parents.
I’ve often had the debate about whether we are born good or bad. I believe that the evidence supports the fact that we are tremendously influenced by our surroundings. What I’d like to say is not that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be influenced, but that we should realize what is influencing us and consider it as a factor in making our decisions. When you decide to take a step, I believe it’s important to consider whether that decision may be being influenced by something in your environment. It’s better to try and consider all of the angles now than have to face them again later. The truth is, we could all be weapons. We could be made into one, made so that we never become one, or as I would most
prefer, shown the results of each, given a sense of right and wrong, and allowed to make our own decision.