Scary Monsters

Someone had once told the younger me that it takes one to be one.

It is a phrase told to younger children by people of all ages and cultures. Often in life we encounter situations where this very idiom applies, but especially when there is a conflict. Conflict in itself is natural and unavoidable, but what troubles me is the tendency of polarisation as a result of this. That it can take a single moment for one to transform from comrade into unrecognisable 'other; a monster.

Human thought can be a scary thing. It has the power to cause both the regression and progression of civilisation. But in this world, where information is an unending flow, preconception and misjudgement are rampant. Where one's thoughts can make you an enemy, an ignoramus, a traitor or a murderer.

I respect those who are able to courageously stand up and declare their beliefs before the world. Especially to those of my acquaintance who can dominate conversations for hours. Inform us of their beliefs without stressing over the consequences. I respect their absence of fear in becoming the daemon to Dr Frankenstein, Count Dracula to Johnathan Harker, or Hyde to Jekyll.

Today, it is almost how becoming how quickly one can vilify another. You can make someone into an enemy in your mind, but how can possibly be worse than the monster you have become.