So I was watching Spiderman and I realized that in a battle, internal or otherwise there is a great part of us that gravitates towards the darker side. It repulses and fascinates us at the same time.Why is the black suit perceived as more powerful than Spiderman even by himself? When choosing to go for an important fight he chooses the black costume, subconsciously admitting its superiority.
The darker side of Spiderman has more force, allure and presence, makes us notice more...
The entire theatre was cheering as the alter ego of Spidey lets people have it, not caring about hurting sensitive feelings, for once telling it like it is. There was a thrill seeing someone who couldn't stand up for himself before do so.
It led me to question whether we somehow perceive good as being less - if someone is good are they considered weak and unable to stand up for themselves? Do we doubt that good can win that it will be strong enough? Somehow bad always seem to have the better odds of succeeding in life. Are we attracted towards the bad more easily than towards the good?
Or is it the case of an attraction, not so much to good or bad, but to that which is superior?
Is it in our genetic make-up to look up to someone who can conquer us - people better than us - stronger than us or smarter than us?
I wonder whether we are innately structured to seek out leadership - to seek out the powerful, to follow?
To despise that which is weak and idolize that which is stronger and better, whether physically, mentally or in any other way!
6 comments:
I enjoyed both your perspective and insight. Interesting turn on the normal. Made me think.
If the dark side is more powerful, then why is the expectation that good will win always greater? One would think that the bad guys would win occasionally, no? (See Mr. Frost and The Ninth Gate) In reality the bad guys do win on occasion, but the ideological standards shift and they become the good guys. The old saying is: the victors will write history.
There is another question lurking in your post and that is why do people cheer for the underdog? It is this underdog that is universally identifiable. Even when we think we have overcome everything life has thrown at us, at some point we must face our own death. Death gives all of humanity a shared experience of defeat and allows us to relate to this one concept regardless of economic status. So we tend to empathize with those who overcome because it gives us hope of overcoming the uncertainty of death.
"To despise that which is weak and idolize that which is stronger and better, whether physically, mentally or in any other way!" This is somewhat a Nietzschean ideology (See Beyond Good & Evil and The Will to Power) which has lately been making a comeback in the form of the self-help abomination The Secret. I think the last resurgence of this philosophy was in the early 20th century and led to the rise of social Darwinism and the Nazis.
If you really want to understand good and evil, you have to better understand yourself and start by defining all your terms. This gives me an idea for a blog series, so thanks.
Greg
Greg's Brain
Evolution - constantly we evolve to be "BETTER"
BIG SIGH!!!
The dark side is more powerful in my opinion because it targets our weakness. Good needs a conscious effort on our part and an exercising of will power. While the dark side just needs us to give in and let ourselves be taken away by it. I imagine it like a tornado like force, to which you can just let yourself be sucked in by, or struggle to liberate yourself from.
Hi, RM!
Interesting analysis. I think that you think too much, don’t you agree?
May the force be with you!
Have a GREAT weekend!
My weekend starts Thursday - here in Dubai Friday, Saturday are holidays ... but had college today... insane day
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