Vikings searching for battle in scorching heat

Until that statement, I had never heard a Prime Minister deliver such a sincere plea to “criminals,” urging them to reflect on the fate of their own lives. Not to fear the law nor guilt from the infliction of pain on victims’ lives but to contemplate the grief and effect on their own lives.
In response to violent crimes, politicians tend to react by making statements which are themselves violent. Statements such as “declaring war,” “releasing the dogs of war,” “hang them high” all capture the ethos of a society created, engaged in and determined to continue the cycle of inflicting pain on each other.

Society, movies, music and entertainment have always glorified a young man’s combativeness.

His ability to fight is encouraged, whether metaphorically or literally, once of course it is directed to a deserving enemy. Young men never seem to be praised for acting peacefully or obeying the rules. We are often inculcated to believe that respect is only gained by conquest, and we are only empowered by money, women or our superiority over another person.

We are often stripped of any emotion from a very young age by the simple and deadly phrase of “man up.” Certainly murder is the extreme expression of this violent nature; it is still a reflection of these qualities.

While the Prime Minster’s statement may have no tangible result, at least it opens a dialogue as to why we young men are so violent and how we can challenge that energy constructively. Until we find such an avenue, we will be nothing more than a society of Vikings searching for a battle in the scorching heat.

Daniel Khan via email