March 25, 1999
How many can you name, all of whom were monsters in my lifetime!
How many did these monsters murder in cold blood leaving out World War II?
Arthur Koestler, author of "Darkness At Noon" wrote a book entitled "Janus".
"Janus, in Roman mythology, god of doors, gateways, and of beginnings, which the Romans believed ensured good endings. His principal temple in the Forum had doors facing east and west for the beginning and ending of the day. Romans sought his help in domestic undertakings and at the beginning of wars. Janus was publicly invoked on the first day of January, the month named for him."The Encarta® 99 Desk Encyclopedia Copyright © & ? 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Arthur Koestler was a trained psychologist and he used that knowledge in all of his writings. That, among other things, made all of his books (fiction and fact) fascinating to me.
"JANUS" was a book on the thinking and musing of Koestler about mankind over his life time. He was in his late 60's when he wrote the book.
The thesis of the book was this: as mankind evolved over the millions of years there were two routes for evolution to take; one route was sanity, the other route was insanity. Man, for unknown reasons took the route of insanity. Mankind is mad.
IF, FOR ONE MOMENT YOU DO NOT THINK MANKIND IS STARK RAVING MAD AND YOU HAVE THE STOMACH FOR IT GO TO THE FULL PAGE SPREAD OF THESE CORPSES FROM INTENTIONAL MURDER DURING WORLD WAR 2!
Mankind therefore, took the wrong path and that explains what a disaster the evolution of man has been. Mankind took the route of aggression, conquest, battles, murder, killing and genocide.
What's my point? There are many days when I shake my head in disbelief, become despondent, discouraged and disgusted at the goings on in the world and in my own country.
I more than not ask myself a rhetorical question: how can people behave like that?
I watch in living color the killings in the middle east, in Africa, in the Balkans, the starving and helpless dying by the thousands in Africa as one war lord after another unleashes death, the insanity of a lying President and a vicious congress of zero morality, the lying and vicious media, the fools who have forgotten there is such a thing as a private life (the mother and father of Monica Lewinsky) and the local shenanigans of this tiny island. I shake my head in disbelief and then I ask myself "Whatever happened to us?".
And then I remember what Arthur Koestler said "mankind is mad".
It doesn't relieve the pain but it does make living easier. At least I understand what the world is all about! I find it easier to cope with life if I understand the rules and the tilt of the playing field!
In order: Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Mao and Trotsky. To say nothing of their followers and fellow murderers!
Current estimates are that the 5 monsters murdered some 50,000,000 people in cold blood!
I send you my best wishes and best regards,
