Everyday Horrors

Every day the news confronts us with horrifying stories. But, on closer inspection, they are no more horrifying than those that have always occurred. Today we no longer think about the Peloponnesian Wars, or the Thirty Years’ War, nor even the war in Yugoslavia. Are we really sure, we who consider ourselves good, that we would not be capable of committing cruel acts if we lived under different circumstances? Are we sure that today’s victims cannot become tomorrow’s perpetrators? How would I have behaved during Nazism: would I have been among the good or among the bad? Would I have acted as a hero or as a coward? Frankly, I do not know. We are human, unfortunately, and it is difficult for us to admit that violence, cruelty, and oppression are inherent in our species. If the world were populated mainly by peaceful bonobos, who use sex as a form of social bonding, the planet would be a more tranquil place.