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Could you kill?

Lark

Active member
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
29,569
Well could you? Is it something which you'd need to be able to justify to yourself and others or would you require the sanction and support of an authority? What would that authority be if you answer this question that way? Or alternatively would you sacrifice yourself before you woud kill another and why would you do that?

I think one of the most powerful examples of this dilemma or question that I can think of was watching the film The Mission, two jesuits in a former slave plantation turned intentional religious community are confronted by the fact the slavers are descending upon them to annex or kill off the settlement.

They both know they are going to die, one dons his battle gear and goes out to give vane fight and die that way another goes out and leads a peaceful procession and is killed in a hail of shot. I remember an actual Jesuit priest who was watching this film with myself and my friends at the time asking us (or us asking him, I'm not sure it was a while ago) whether the example of the one or the other would be the one which we would follow.

I was sure at the time that I would give fight, no matter what, if its a foregone conclusion then make it as difficult for my foe to subdue me as possible. I'm still strongly inclined to think this yet. Although he said that he felt that way when he was a younger man and wouldnt give the same answer at the age he was now (I think still younger than forty) and that's always made me wonder.
 

Tiltyred

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I would like to think that nothing, not even my imminent death, could turn me into a killer.

I might answer differently if I had dependents.
 

Robert165

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Dec 6, 2009
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257
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ENFJ
yes. some people really need to die. mean brutal people who deserve to be removed from this earth. if i knew i woldnt get caught could i kill them though? in a fight, pulling a trigger, or by pushng a button? hard to say and all very hypothetical.....
 

Zoom

Self sustaining supernova
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Feb 12, 2009
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To protect or defend, I would do what was needed to survive and ensure the same for my loved ones.

I would still feel the loss of death inflicted at my hands, though.
 
P

Phantonym

Guest
Yes. Given enough motivation, I could kill without blinking an eye. But it all depends, it could go either way. I could kill or I could sacrifice myself. Motivation is the key. In the heat of the moment and not even thinking about the consequences or some planned action.

I think it would really have to be something exceptional for me to plan ahead to kill somebody. In a war situation it might be "easier" than a single premeditated account of murder when you have time to think about the possibilities. You enter a state of mind that doesn't allow anything but tunnel vision, whether it is survival or protective instinct.

I know I could do it, though. I think everybody is capable of killing another person no matter what they say or think. If the circumstances are right. I would have to justify it to myself. But I also think that being pressured by some authority might do the trick as well. If given a choice between multiple negative outcomes, I would try to find a solution, "the lesser evil" option.

Hopefully I will never have to face such a thing.
 

miss fortune

not to be trusted
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oh yes, I can kill... I'm a mass murderer every summer :devil: bwa ha ha ha...


.... I like to garden :blush:
 

cafe

Well-known member
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Apr 19, 2007
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I have zero doubt that I would kill to protect my children. I would kill so fast I wouldn't even know what I was doing. Beyond that, I have no idea.
 

cafe

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souns like you have ninja powers..... ;)
:ninja::laugh:That's assuming that I was physically able to pull it off, which is not a given considering my size. Mentally and emotionally, there's no question. Times when I have perceived any threat towards my children and have felt myself flipping completely out of control with the need to protect them have convinced me that I'm capable of God only knows what. It's the inner mammal or something.
 

Bubbleboy

New member
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Messages
116
MBTI Type
ENFP
Well could you? Is it something which you'd need to be able to justify to yourself and others or would you require the sanction and support of an authority? What would that authority be if you answer this question that way? Or alternatively would you sacrifice yourself before you woud kill another and why would you do that?

I think one of the most powerful examples of this dilemma or question that I can think of was watching the film The Mission, two jesuits in a former slave plantation turned intentional religious community are confronted by the fact the slavers are descending upon them to annex or kill off the settlement.

They both know they are going to die, one dons his battle gear and goes out to give vane fight and die that way another goes out and leads a peaceful procession and is killed in a hail of shot. I remember an actual Jesuit priest who was watching this film with myself and my friends at the time asking us (or us asking him, I'm not sure it was a while ago) whether the example of the one or the other would be the one which we would follow.

I was sure at the time that I would give fight, no matter what, if its a foregone conclusion then make it as difficult for my foe to subdue me as possible. I'm still strongly inclined to think this yet. Although he said that he felt that way when he was a younger man and wouldnt give the same answer at the age he was now (I think still younger than forty) and that's always made me wonder.
Someone that I felt was comprimising my ideals, I might kill. If he was a person that I didn't think would ever bring any good into the world, and he had slighted me or mine then I would.

I would have to do it in cold blood and go about it rationally, though. I couldn't live with having done it otherwise.
 

lua

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Dec 23, 2009
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I could, anybody could.

I really, really don't think I would.
 

ceecee

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Apr 22, 2008
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To protect my children or my husband? In a heartbeat. I'm not sure about other instances.
 

21%

You have a choice!
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To protect the people I love, yes, without any doubt.
 

pardo

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May 24, 2008
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istp
It is not a big deal to make a summary judgement about the death of a stranger or -generally- someone perceived as "different", in the sense of "not one of us."
The answers would have been different if the question was "could you kill your friend? your relative? your neighbour?".
But killing a generic stranger is easy. Most wars are based on this psychological glitch, or in the evolving of it into a widespread culture of antagonism. The leader must instill "the thought of the enemy" in the minds of his followers. The other human must become "alien", to the point that -if properly motivated, usually with rage- they will kill him without thinking. This is achieved through careful planning and control of communications, and wartime propaganda.
It is interesting to note that modern humanitarian culture succeeded in banning violence from public discourse, but left it completely acceptable in the realm of entertainment.
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
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To protect or defend, I would do what was needed to survive and ensure the same for my loved ones. I would still feel the loss of death inflicted at my hands, though.

Likewise -- I could kill in self-defense, and I would kill for my loved ones, but I don't do it lightly. I can deal with it, but it would still resonate in my mind for the rest of my life.

It is interesting to note that modern humanitarian culture succeeded in banning violence from public discourse, but left it completely acceptable in the realm of entertainment.

After taking my teen boys to see Avatar 3D on Wednesday, I joked that it was a good thing the "love scene" was so short... Everyone knows it's okay to blow the crap out of other human beings and commit all levels of violence without losing your PG-13 rating but if you show a little too much skin, you're going straight to R or further. (Same with videogames.)

They laughed because they knew I was right.

It is not a big deal to make a summary judgement about the death of a stranger or -generally- someone perceived as "different", in the sense of "not one of us."

Typically we psychologically define the other person as "Other" in order create the psychological space needed to kill them. If they are part of "Us," then it's like hurting/killing ourselves.

Some people are good at making this separation. For those of us who have trouble defining unrelated human beings as Other (due to some blend of broad humanitarianism on our parts), killing someone else will be troublesome even if we feel they had to be stopped/killed. We still recognized them as part of us, so it was more like amputating a limb.
 

Not_Me

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Jan 16, 2008
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In many instances, killing is necessary to produce the most desirable outcome. Under those circumstances, I see no reason to be conflicted. An obvious example would be self defense.
 
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