For starters, I will be writing up on a bushfire gone global. Secondly, I may also write on other things ranging from point A to point B. That is provided I'm still in Guts mode. Don't know what is Guts mode?
This Guts is not the original Guts. The original Sanders is the one below.
Lyrics
Note: I don't believe in Berserk's definition of God (if there's truly one in that world), but I do believe in Berserk's definition of human nature. No worries, though. I can handle dissent, trust me.
Add note: One more song before I continue on my berserk rampage.
Lyrics
Know thy enemy, know thyself first
It's very easy to start firing arrows of fire and brimstone. It's very easy for our wrath to be poured out upon the alleged culprits like how Sodom and Gomorrah were annihilated. To understand the whole thing on a better scale, we must understand human nature. While I'm no (genius) conman named Akiyama Shinichi, I'm going to try my best to dissect what makes humanity tick on this matter. In the most twisted way possible, no less. And speaking of humanity and human nature, you and I are definitely part of the order.
"People who are still tormented by their consciences are still worth saving."
It doesn't matter whether it is Harvey Weinstein, Ben Affleck, or even Jack Neo (assuming the worst, that is). People who are still tormented by their consciences are still worth saving. The real question is "when" instead of "are they". Of course, that is assuming they really feel the guilt.
Let's be objective here. Compassion is a must in a society where Darwin might be right after all. However, law and order is also a must for people to appreciate better the value of compassion. If the culprits must learn their lesson in jail, so be it. If they must spend a lifetime making amends, let them do it. The worst-case scenario would be neither. Not so much an issue of justice, but rather that of repentance.
Yet, it must also be stressed home that expecting the victims to forgive their oppressors is nothing short of idiocy. It doesn't matter the level of your education or even how holy thou art. To forgive is not to forgive them, but to spare yourself from a lifetime of anguish. What kind of crap is this logic? It takes someone who has been through hell to speak about it, not a Snow White living in a castle complete with her Prince Charming and seven dwarves as servants. It's very easy for us to say Belle understood her Beast, but the same shouldn't be said when it comes to Gaston and all his rabid bros.
So how should we help the victims? Firstly, saying "my prayers are with you" is a dangerous thing. If you want to pray for the victim, go ahead. Just don't announce it like a hypocrite. Better it is to be a silent prayer warrior than to be a noisy vessel with nary a thing inside. Unless you're referring to excrement, of course.
Secondly, prayer alone is only for those incapable of doing anything more. Whatever one can do, just do it. Understand what the victim needs the most. If she desires a hearing ear, just keep quiet and listen to her anguished words. If she desires a truthful statement, then better it is to offer the blows of a friend instead of offering kisses of an enemy. I admit the latter case is extremely risky. In fact, chances are that she will scream at you and tell you to get out. Therefore, please make sure she understands you instead of assuming that she understands you. At the same time, please don't say anything unless she asks you to. Listen to her, obey her, what she asks you, just do accordingly. And when I say accordingly, I mean according to what she says, not according to what you think she says.
It's very easy to say the victim desires justice. Of course, we all desire justice whenever we suffered injustice. Which is why we are capable of hating others. We hate others not just because of what they do and say. When justice isn't served hot instead of cold, you can expect the hatred to elevate. More than justice and hatred, however, the victim needs to be assured that not everyone is against her. That in spite of feeling like some enemy of humanity, she is merely a victim who deserves compassion, not condemnation. If she approaches you, it means she trusts you. If she stays silent, please do not say "I don't know" unless you're no friend of hers. In this case, saying you're her friend means you're a liar. And that makes you no different from the monster(s) who harmed her. If she doesn't have a friend, it's the duty of people like teachers and family members to fulfil their obligation. It's not some kind of professional obligation. After all, that's how morally illegal lawyers lie their way to victory. I'm referring to moral obligations.
In any case, the victim owes nothing to anyone apart from herself (but only if she truly felt there's a debt owed somewhere). And no one should twist the truth in a bid to self-canonize.
"Doubt them. Question them, suspect them... and take a good, long look into their hearts. Humans are the kind of beings that can't put their pain into words, after all."
Seriously, how do you doubt the victim? You can't doubt the fact that they're victims. Yet, we must understand that when people are in pain, they can (and will) do or say irrational things. I don't have to teach you how to differentiate self-harm from self-criticism. Still don't understand the difference? Very well then.
I always end up saying I'm the king of procrastination in terms of writing A Requiem From Winter Past. That is self-criticism.
The victim calls herself the queen of promiscuity. That is self-harm.
Now one must be very careful in processing what is said. If you don't know what to say, then don't say anything beyond "I'm here for you. You got my number, I guarantee you I'll have your back." Even the most meaningless words spoken in honesty can be a balm far better than the gold and silver offered by those most knowledgeable.
Either way, be prepared to doubt them whenever the victim starts the journey of self-mutilation. In fact, behind every act of physical self-mutilation lies an equal (or greater) desire to inflict verbal self-mutilation. If you're not suffering, that's called self-deprecation. If you're suffering, that's called self-harm.
If you can't doubt them because you know what they're talking about (and trust me, there's a chance of the victim having some semblance of awareness on what went on in the back alley last night because not every rapist is intelligent enough to spike a drink), then question them. Let me just do a... well, simple demonstration.
Victim: I shouldn't have dressed this way!
BFF: So does that mean that bastard shouldn't go to jail?
Victim: I still shouldn't have dressed this way!
BFF: So you're telling me that bastard deserves to be jailed only for three months?
Victim: But...
BFF: No buts. Either you call me a liar or you say that bastard deserves to rot in jail plus his sorry ass rotting from the caning.
Victim: You're not a liar.
BFF: Good. That settles the issue then.
Suspect them if they display any signs of hesitation. Not everyone can be Kim Jong-un, but you can be very sure that's why people crave power. If you don't do so, your victim friend(s) will proceed on the road to self-destruction. There are more than just one way to destroy the self. Alcoholism, drug addiction... perhaps even attempting suicide as the worst form of self-harm. Don't let the victims destroy themselves. Disappointment and despair are two different things. Disappointment is that guy not getting his dream girl. Despair is that girl losing faith in humanity in every sense of the statement just because some retarded neanderthal watched too many porn in a bid to handle rejection.
Take a good, long look into their hearts, no matter how difficult. No one is demanding you to be Akiyama Shinichi, you don't need to have a degree in psychology to help your friend. Psychological knowledge is for professionals to help people they don't know. Period. Yes, such knowledge can help. In fact, it can help a lot. But it's not an excuse to act dumb and play it dumber. In fact, Akiyama-san summed it up best by saying "Humans are the kind of beings that can't put their pain into words, after all."
Do not give up. Because if you do, the words of Akiyama Shinichi will condemn you.
["'Trust'. The act is without a doubt a very noble one. But you know, what many people call 'trust' is actually giving up on trying to understand others. And that has nothing to do with 'trust', but is rather apathy."]
In fact, the titular liar of Liar Game (pardon the pun) went as far as to say this:
["People should be doubted. Many people misunderstand this concept. Doubting people is just a part of getting to know them. What many people call 'trust' is really just giving up on trying to understand others, and that very act is far worse than doubting. It is actually 'apathy'."]
Note: Please do not confuse "doubting" in this context with doubting others in order to say "See? I'm right! That Kuok Minghui is a liar by comparing himself with Akiyama Shinichi!"
"Humans, in general, feel uneasy when there’s dissonance between them and their external environment. And so, to cancel that uneasiness they try to synchronize (or make peace) with that environment."
This refers to just about anyone apart from the truly guilty ones. For the victims, this is a dangerous headstart to self-blaming. When we talk about victim blaming, the worst case scenario is never about accusations from others. Rather, it is self-loathing due to various factors and decisions made, no matter how damning. Yet, it must be stressed home that no amount of factors and decisions made should be used as an excuse to justify wickedness. In fact, only two types of people will resort to such a tactic. The aggressors and the defence attorney. This is why when we talk about sexual atrocities, we must learn from Akiyama Shinichi. This guy, despite being a non-macho Japanese bro, should be the perfect role model. Check out what he said below.
["Now, you’ve only got two different options to choose from: Prove that everything I just said was bullshit, or admit your guilt."]
So what if you got it wrong? Assertion always carries forth a certain risk. This is something which even a twelve-year-old kid can understand. If you want to point a finger or two, you don't need to be the judge, jury, or prosecutor. All you need is proof and confidence on top of whatever instinct you have, no matter whether you're man or woman. Case in point: Do you need to be the judge, jury, or prosecutor to call the cops? I don't think so. And besides, they're too busy in the courtroom for that kind of thing.
The scariest part, however, is not about how to slay that nine-headed hydra. It's about preventing that beast from devouring you. The environment, no matter whether it's the showbiz or anywhere else, can be absolutely toxic. It's like the poison of Jörmungandr, the kind of venom which can fell even a mighty god like Thor (not that Hollywood one you see alongside Tom Hiddleston). Hence, is it any wonder that no one, man or woman, has the courage to emulate Susanoo when he slew the dreaded Yamata no Orochi? So what if there's no Kushinada-hime to impress? If I'm not deluded enough to say I can impress the likes of Park Shin-hye, Emilia Clarke, and Aragaki Yui, it means your Kushinada-hime shouldn't be a factor.
Let me be this frank. If you think Thor's bravery is a must, then you're being lied to. Hollywood is not about telling you the truth. In fact, Iron Man summed it up best in the most... well, ironic fashion.
A brief intro about Susanoo. He's more of a Thor as a god. After all, he's the Japanese god of the storm. As an individual, he's more of a Loki. Simply put, he's a bloody son of a bitch just like how Loki is that son of a blue giant.
Long story short, he gave his sis Amaterasu the worst kind of two-finger salute possible. Yet, he was smart enough to slay a monster by using his brains like Loki.
So learned anything yet? Well, either I hope so or I guess not.
"I've already made up my mind, to the statement: 'The most important thing in life is money'. I answered 'No'."
Fame and money go hand in hand. They are the worst kind of BFF you can afford to deal with. That is if you can really afford to do so. This isn't about telling people how to deal with victims the right way. Rather, this is the cold hard truth when it comes to the root of many evils, lesser, greater, and middling.
In other words, you can't affect other people when it comes to choices made. But what about you? If you want to be in the showbiz, know what you're in for. If you have to be the coward and turn the other cheek before any evil, be it lesser, greater, or middling, don't you think it's time to say "I quit"?
This comes into mind Jack London's Call of the Wild. The protagonist Buck was no human being. In fact, Buck was a dog. Yet, why is it that Buck's ending was that of a wolf with nothing but pride? Why is it that Buck chose not to live on as a dog he was born to be? Because Buck made a choice: Better it is to die like a wolf than to suffer as a dog. Someone once said, "There are more dogs than humans in Singapore". Truth is, Buck was born a dog (note that I never say "in the year of the dog" because that would be me).
"Don't succumb to panic. Only those who see the bigger picture win."
Thankfully, I don't have to add anything beyond talking about the topic I intended to talk about. You can call this saving the best for the last, others can say I'm trying a shrewd hand by reserving Mayim Bialik's controversial statements for the last in order to minimize the negative impact.
So what is the bigger picture in the light of whatever panic incurred? It's very unfortunate, sad, and pathetic that we human beings don't have the instinct to ask "why?" or similar questions. No one is telling you to be the Lancelot to her Guinevere (hopefully, that doesn't come out wrong like Hawkeye complimenting Squirrel Girl on her tail). We Singaporeans are known for two extremes. On one hand, we're known to be terribly sharp in maths and science. When it comes to the ability to ask "why?", we're hopelessly thick. And I'm referring to the brain unless your brain is actually somewhere below the hip.
Laugh all you want, I'm willing to admit the flaws of my fellow Singaporeans. However, this also means one thing: There's something in common between us and them. And that is the inability to ask "why?" even if such a call may seem pointless. Actually, it is not pointless.
Asking "why?" means trying to see the bigger picture. Have we ever asked "why?" in the light of what Mayim Bialik said? Yes? No? No one is demanding you to agree with her. But is it so hard to understand proper English coming out from yours truly?
In every human being lies the ability to reason through logic. We're not animals even though we do have the tendency to behave like one (which explains why Hollywood is now trying to do damage control by my own guess). If we can't differentiate between judging the situation and judging the victim (believe it or not, there is a difference. I'll come to that later), shouldn't we first ask "why?" Not as in "why are we so thick?" but rather asking why that person said such a thing.
Which now comes to the difference between judging the situation and judging the victim. I'll just do a simple demonstration below.
Judge: I hereby sentence you to twenty years in jail.
Accused: NO!!!!!!!
Defense Attorney: But he's repentant!
Judge: So? Every murderer sentenced to hang is always repentant.
Defense Attorney: But the victim contributed to that twenty minutes of action!
Judge: So? If someone murders your son just because he's guilty of provocation, then maybe I should give the murderer a lighter sentence. Like three months in prison?
Defense Attorney: THAT'S A STUPID ARGUMENT! AND DON'T YOU USE MY SON AS AN ARGUMENT!
Judge: And I can't be bothered with your client's bullshit and more bullshit coming from you. Trust me, you've been trying to bullshit me since the first day of trial. Be thankful I never charged you for contempt of court.
Finally, let's use religion as an example
No, I'm not out to attack anyone's religious faith. I'm not interested in following the footsteps of Shrey Bhargava even though he accidentally (?) contributed to the society via raising the spectre of casual racism in Singapore. Rather, it's this. Mahatma Gandhi once famously said "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." You don't have to tell me where Gandhi is right now, that's none of my business. And neither is that your business. Firstly, I know where I will go after I die. Secondly, do you?
Let me quote Akiyama-san once again to end this post. Hopefully, this last statement should wake you up, Christian or no Christian, when it comes to the real problem plaguing the world. And no, it's not just the churches and Christians.
["A former teacher of mine, Okabe-sensei, was always saying this to me: 'To believe people is to doubt them.'... meaning if you keep doubting people and searching what's inside them, sooner or later you're bound to understand something about them. And when you do, you'll be able to entrust something to them. That is what it means to trust and believe."]
Disclaimer P.S: Apart from the last one, all the headers should be credited to Akiyama Shinichi of Liar Game even though he's 100% fictional.
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