I just recently watched the movie Unknown with Liam Neeson. If you haven’t seen it, it is basically a
mirror image of the Taken movies
except in this one he loses his memory as opposed to his daughter and wife. The premise of Uknown is this: it begins with Liam Neeson traveling to Berlin as a
doctor to attend a medical convention. Upon landing his taxi cab is
involved in an accident which puts Liam in a river. As a result of the accident
he loses his memory, in other words he suffers from amnesia. Turns out he is
actually an assassin who was playing the identity of a doctor but cannot remember
that tidbit of information. He truly believes he is this false identity of
doctor. Now here is the game changer, once he realizes he is actually an assassin
he becomes appalled by his former trade. Really?
So what tickles my interest in this mediocre movie is morality.
Prior to Liam Neeson’s amnesia he killed people for a living. He gets a bump on
the head and suddenly the thought of taking another life becomes repulsive. I find
it interesting; is that possible? To make a complete 180 degree turn on the
concept of killing someone. I find that to be pretty radical.
So it begs the question: Where does morality come from-
where does it exist in the human psyche, how do you get it, is it innate or learned,
or is it some bullshit we have gleaned from the bible that you can agree or
disagree with? Is there really such a thing as right and wrong? If your answer
is yes, what makes such and such right? And for all the anarchists (aka socialists),
who says what you are doing is wrong? Who introduced the idea of morality in
the first place? What I find immoral behavior to be here in the states may be
perfectly acceptable in some country I can’t pronounce.
Bottom line is we limit ourselves with bullshit close minded
thinking. I happen to be lucky because I can traverse both camps (it’s one of my
superpowers). At the end Liam Neeson kills a man as a civilian, the
non-assassin and/or the doctor he thought he was. However, that kill he was perfectly okay with. He goes
home and makes babies with the milk lady.
Dealing with this now. I'm part of a group that's planning what are called "Moral Monday" actions. We often disagree on what is "moral" and where "morality" comes from. There are those who go strictly by their religious doctrine and those who just believe in doing what they think is right. To me, morality is gray. The "moral" thing to do changes based on the situation. Example, I *think stealing is immoral. But if I were with my kids and they had not eaten in days and I've exhausted every option possible, I would steal food in a heart beat AND I think it would be immoral of me not to. But to each her own.
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with the categorical imperative?
ReplyDeleteno..
DeleteIts the moral philosophy introduced by Immanuel Kant that states, morals are universal and unconditional to the motives and desires of the actor. What is moral is moral regardless of the circumstances, basically. Obviously you disagree with this concept as do I. However, how do we decide who is right? Are morals actually universal or are they a manifestation of our own beliefs which we deem right? Is there a correct disposition when dealing with morality or is it simply an opinion? Kitta you made the statement "to each there own", meaning morality is merely subjective? On 'Moral Mondays' everyone should just bring in their favorite pet?
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DeleteI agree with " Morals are a manifestation of our own beliefs which we deem right" nail on the head George! Unfortunately, as you are fully aware ( because you were there on the ground in the trenches) you experienced this first hand... Hitler, Idi Amin... Ghandi, Mother Theresa manifested their morality as do you and I.Therefore morality is subjective. i hope you are well buddy.
DeleteI'm good, just making my way up the coast.
Deleteyeah i saw that movie my brother. Some one has "been there and done that" which means you are not alone. The writer beat you to it and wrote his version of your story.
ReplyDeleteKelota Jones talks simple truth as well.... stealing is not immoral if it is a means to survive and eat?!?!...
As i mentioned long ago, I want to do a doco on the human species.. David Attenborough style.
"Mana (integrity) is like beauty and in the eyes of the beholder. Humility also."
" It's ok to die a rich man or a poor man, but to live a life in arrogance is a mans downfall"
"Treat others like you want to be treated yourself"
Goes on forever. I reckon we just need to stop judging each other and accept what we see in the mirror. But again, I guess even looking at yourself can be damn frightening to some.
Haywood... time to sleep bro. good night.
I feel that morals are set by whatever dogma society has chosen to embrace at the time. Greeks were never arrested or stoned to death for act of pederast. Aztecs were completely okay with cutting out the beating heart of a defeated enemy so that the sun would rise the next day. Furthermore, some scholars believe, in some other civilizations that had sacrifices, some people volunteering for it. It was actually a privilege to be offered up to the gods. Morals are akin to language. There are not good words or bad words. Words only have the power that we give them; however, words are just words. If someone calls me a racial slur and I get mad then I just gave that word power.
ReplyDeleteSo in your mind there is no categorical right and wrong? No innate ideal that we should not (or find it unappetizing at the least) eat baby children as snacks? As free as the Greeks were, there were still taboos. As free as the Aztecs were there were still forbidden rituals
DeleteI would say yes. However, I am a thinking person raised in a Christian society thus some of those morals I have adopted. But think of this for a second ... a wild animal kills and eats a baby calf. It does not do it with malice and it has no remorse. Now we are more evolved than that, or at least we would like to think, but the very same thing that drives the animal drives the human animal. So maybe we are all savages at our core. This world is also fill with opposites so maybe we can be both a savage and a noble.
Deleteword... what is the definition of an objective and a subjective reality, without it being so profound that... the meaning is lost ?
ReplyDeleteI touch you, you touch me.. i hear you , i ignore.
We are here to define :"a" human species .. de tach... in canoes lost in the amazons?
nay brother. i say ... stop being insular and your world is nout. Speak in a wider forum to realise you are not alone. wake up.
hold hands. seeing people dead is normal bro, get over it such is living. x