Duality


In the movie ‘Full Metal Jacket’, the character of Joker is seen wearing a helmet with the words ‘Born to Kill’ and a vest with a peace button. He is a war journalist and believes in the duality of human nature. 

How often have we seen nations going to war to preserve peace? Small nations declare war against large nations to leave them in peace. Large nations declare war against small nations to maintain peace within. Small nations declare war on their neighbours to prevent disruption of peace, and large nations declare war against large nations for the same reasons. 

But, the willingness to go to war at the drop of a hat is just the end result of the natural indecision that each and every human being goes through. 

Human beings love other human beings, but they also hate them. But this ability of one human being to show extreme love and extreme hate for another fellow being brings mutual respect between the two. Often, the fine balance between love and hate is essential to maintain respect. If the scales tilt ever so little in one direction or the other, there can be harm caused to oneself or harm caused to another. 

But how does one know whether one hates a loved one, or loves a hated one? 

Often there are incidents in life when one wishes to come out with the unpleasant truth about a loved one, or permanently destroy the one hated. But on such occasions, one cannot always consciously do what one wants. It is out of respect that such an act of benevolence is possible, and if the respect is compromised, war is declared and no extent of civilization can then restrain the primitive savage inside man. 

Inside every creative being is a desire to be destructive, and inside every creative-destructive being is a desire to play pranks. But, people do not believe in comedians, because they are always ‘seriously joking’. But then how many understand an oxymoron and make an accurate estimate of a just war? If fun wasn't a jocular expression of war, then there would have been only war, and no fun, and imagine a world without it.

Dwaipayan Adhya
Location: Cambridge, UK

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