Considering Alternatives
People often say in defence of a particular course of action that ‘there was no choice’; ‘The alternatives were unthinkable’. There are always choices and options and even if people say they considered them, in my experience this is rarely the case.
There was a case some time ago of the
Texas
Cheerleader Murder Plot. A mother was so obsessed with getting her daughter
on the cheerleading squad that that she arranged for her brother in law to kill
her daughter’s main rival to the post. Attitudes get out of perspective because
the alternatives are unthinkable. As Dr. Phil McGraw (
Dr
Phil) put it “Monsters lie in the darkness”. If you don't look at the alternatives
then they seem to be more menacing than they really are. I've mentioned before
that in some respects life can be seen as a game. There are rules and we can move
in many directions within the game, but nothing is worth taking a life for. It’s
when the prospect of ‘losing’ the game becomes unthinkable that some people resort
to anything that will get them back into the running.
Almost every example of murder, stealing and even lying are brought about because
the perpetrator thought any other option was worse, that is if they even considered
the other options. With expanding of the consciousness comes a broader view of
a situation. You don't feel trapped by life as all the available options are shown
to you. On the other hand, contraction of consciousness makes people unable to
see things beyond a very limited scope. Drug taking also does this to people.
Drug addicts commit more crimes (in some areas most of the crimes) not only because
they ‘need’ the money for their drugs, but also because they are unable to see
what other options they have. People who want to make addictive drugs freely available
on the grounds that this will eliminate the need for addicts to commit crimes
to get their drugs are only seeing one side of the story. With contraction of
consciousness comes depression (and euphoria comes with expansion of consciousness).
Depressed people see no options – just blackness.
Often when living with someone, small issues get out of proportion and a break or a holiday can give us a better sense of perspective. Women who have been in destructive marriages occasionally finish up murdering their husbands (and sometime vica versa). People in these relationships become unable to see their options. They never get the break or the holiday.
I once lived next door to a couple who were in an extremely unhealthy relationship. When I went into their house oppression oozed out from the walls and I subsequently learned that some time previously a murder had been committed there. Spirits can sap the broad view of life out of a person as well as any drug can.
