Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Heart of Darkness


I was struck by two comments made yesterday in media reports about the trial of disgraced Canadian armed forces colonel Russell Williams. Williams pled guilty to more than eighty charges which included everything from breaking and entering, to sexual assault, to murder.

On the front page of the Globe and Mail yesterday Christie Blatchford offered that "in Canadian criminal history, probably no one ever before has done the devil’s work with such single-minded purpose and documented his exploits with such devotion." Elsewhere a police investigator spoke of our public exposure to the depth of evil in this case.

I have no idea whether Blatchford actually believes in the devil, nor how the police officer would define evil. I certainly believe in evil and in a malevolent force of evil which we can call the devil or anything else. I do think we have downplayed the possibility of evil in our culture, often choosing psychological language instead. But how else do we come to terms with what this individual has done? He has a brother who is a local doctor leading a normal life. How could one sibling engage in such horrific acts without there being conscious choices to enter the darkest places of the human spirit?

What conclusions have you come to about the existence of evil? What is your reaction to what has happened with Russell Williams? Please pray for the families of the brave young women who died at Williams' hands.

3 comments:

roger said...

I believe there are people like Williams, Bernardo, Olsen and others who truly are evil. They should be kept in a cage and never, ever be let out. The horrific way that their victims were killed shows absolutely no conscience on the part of these monsters.

I do pray for the families of the victims, as well as for the innocent family members of these murderers. It must be horrible to know that your own flesh and blood was involved in such crimes.

I know there have been many interviews lately with psychologists,etc, about how Williams - a high ranking officer in charge of Canada's largest air force base - could have such a deviant and cruel side to him. I don't think there is an answer, and it does bother me a little that he gets so much attention compared to his victims.

Let's put the analyzing and assessing of this "person" aside and toss him in a cage with nothing but bread and water for the rest of his pathetic life. Better yet, put him in with the rest of the prison population.

Just my two cents'...

sjd said...

EVIL... I don't know how these people become this way. Our system is flawed in how they protect the rights of individuals.
My understanding of incarseration is that it is the suspension of an individuals rights because they have impeded someone elses rights in the act of their crime.
How do we as a society allow Clifford Olson to continue to collect a pension? He forfited that right when he committed murder. I heard a rumor today that Russell Williams although dishonorably discharged would still qualify for his military pension?? I would think it would be easier to make the argument that he didn't deserve it, than it would be to defend his right to it.
Couldn't this money do some good for the victims? The victims should be the priority.

David Mundy said...

Thanks guys. My feeling is that it is entirely appropriate to feel outrage at these manifestations of evil. Where we go with that outrage is our personal and societal challenge. I would probably want to kill a person who did grave harm to one of my loved ones. I often say to people that I'm glad that I live in a society that does not allow me to exact angry revenge. Instead the justice system responds.

I have actually worked with some of these people while doing my chaplaincy internship thirty years ago. Some of their crimes were so reprehensible I had to consciously remind myself each day of the Christian message that no person is beyond redemption.And I did see lives change because of Christ, even with individuals who would spend the better part of thier lives behind bars.