“A man can kill and still be the sweetest guy,” Buses and Trains, Bachelor Girl (1998)
Joseph Conrad said, “The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.”
As children, we grew up with the notion that monsters were these insidious, vile, or otherworldly-looking creatures. We were taught they hide in the dark: closets or underneath the bed and for this reason, most children grew up afraid of the dark. The animated film Monsters Inc. is based on monsters that gain access through children’s closets to scare them in the dark of night.
As we aged into adulthood, we learned of a grim reality about monsters. They are not alien looking creatures that linger and lurk in the dark corners of our rooms. Neither do they hide behind closed doors or under our beds. Oh no. On the contrary, they are living among us, hidden in plain sight. They walk, breathe, feed, and look like just you and me.
They are often unassuming and contrary to popular belief, they do not have disfigured faces nor do they possess sharp claws or terrifying supernatural abilities. They are our fellow human beings, made of flesh and bone. They are people we study with, work alongside, commune with, worship with, and are even related to.
History is littered with tales of monsters who have led nations, sat on thrones of power and commanded armies. They have orchestrated mass suffering on an unimaginable scale. From Adolf Hitler’s genocide during the Holocaust to King Leopold II’s atrocities in the Congo, history holds countless monstrous deeds.
In the recent past, we have also seen sadists and serial killers whose actions can only be described as monstrous. Their actions are simply too inhumane and unfathomable. Think of the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy who give even the devil a run for his money. But we need not look to history books or true crime documentaries. These monsters walk our hallways and sit in the next cubicle.
Even in our day-to-day lives, people present a pristine image yet, beneath it lies an unimaginable darkness. They can be intelligent, poised, and smart professionals. They can be dressed in fine linen and standing at the altar while hiding demons behind closed doors. They can be educators, meant to mentor and teach the young and vulnerable in the society, who turn into monsters.
Think of that boss at the workplace who makes advances and threatens to fire an employee who rejects their advances. Think of the leader who steals millions’ worth of cash meant to help needy people for their own personal gain. Think of that bully who spreads fear and terror in school hallways. Think of that abusive partner at home who wreaks havoc and makes a place meant for safety into one of terror.
Basically, they can be anyone or anywhere. But why is this so? Why do humans give in to their darkest inclinations and become monsters? One story offers insight.
There is an old Cherokee chief who, while teaching his grandson about life, said to him, “A fight is going on inside me, grandson. A fight between two wolves. The Dark one is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The Light Wolf is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you grandson and inside of every other person on the face of this earth.”
The grandson ponders this for a moment and then asked, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee elder smiled and simply said, “The one you feed.”
As humans we have both the capacity for great good or great evil. It essentially comes down to the side we choose to nurture, to grow, and to feed. Some choose to go completely off the deep end, to give in to their worst tendencies and result in becoming the very monsters we were warned about.
The childhood monsters and real-life monsters share one thing: their goal and mission. They exist solely to wreak havoc and cause immense suffering. They like to bring about affliction and often leave long-lasting negative effects. Like the monsters we feared as children, human monsters leave a lingering sense of fear.
At the end of the day, no one is born inherently good or evil. Adolf Hitler was once an aspiring painter whose life took an extremely different path. It comes down to multiple factors such as environment and upbringing but ultimately, it is the choice of which wolf we feed. Monsters are not born; they are fed.
The difference between man and monster is not in form, but in choice.
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” — Stephen King
