When The Line Begins To Blur

What does it take for the line between right and wrong to begin to blur and what is the true nature of human nature? Both very important questions, these were questions I asked myself during the discussion in class. Some of the answers that I found showed me a part of human nature that I thought could never be unleashed. 

One thing I observed as we were divided into serpents and angels is that the majority of class belonged to the serpentine side. Does this mean that we are a species that tells stone cold lies all of the time? I would say no because I think it just shows that there are situations for everyone in which they would be forced to lie about something for a better good.

The least extreme example of our serpentine side is Santa Claus. We find it good to give our children something to look up to that is magical and will instill that spirit of childhood in them during that age. The same goes with most euphemisms that we tell our children when they inquire about the serious and darker side of life. But we do not tell them these euphemisms because that's what we want them to believe for the rest of their lives. We do it because we believe that when they are ready to, they will learn about the darker, more serious stuff that we kept hidden from them.

This leads me to one conclusion about the true nature of human nature: Being deceitful is not something that would be hard for any human being to do. From white lies to massive lies, every human being is capable of doing one or the other.

A more complex side of human nature is the lion and lamb side. Every human being varies when it comes to how much they think their violence could extend. Violence is worse than lying for some people, and other people would think that they are both equal. It is hard for me to conceive a thought about killing another human being. However, there is breaking point for everyone. When the line of insanity or desperation is crossed, everybody is capable of doing the things they wouldn't dare to do if they hadn't crossed the line.

The 1972 Andes flight survivors no doubt thought that McDonald's was gourmet when
they came back to society.

An example of how there is a lion within all of us when the situation calls for it is the 1972 Andes flight disaster. There was nothing left for the survivors of the crash to eat except for the preserved bodies of others who died in the crash. They were forced to turn to cannibalizing so that they could survive until rescue arrived. I am sure that before the crash happened, some of them would have thought that cannibalism is something that they would never do even if they were forced to. But the breaking point was broken when they came to a grim realization that they would die unless they crossed the line. In such a desperate situation as this, the line between right and wrong had to become blurred in order for these people to survive.

My final conclusion: There is a lion and a serpent in all of us. Certain situations can force these darker sides of personality to rise. How we would act in normal society is a far cry from how we would act in a desperate, seemingly hopeless society ( Like "The Road"?).