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I am "Anders Behiring Breivik"

edited July 2011 in Buddhism Today
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/8658428/Norway-killer-Anders-Behring-Breiviks-grooming.html

The recent tragic event in Norway where 86 teachers were yuthlessly executed like in a computer game because of their "political ideals".

I feel that this "evil" character can be a good warning for everyone to self-reflect on the dangerous of the 5 poisons within us!

I've hated alot of people in the past due to their political views, because the cause is my own insecurity. When you also mix vanity and addiction to computer games and fantasies for violence...

Terrible events will happen when all the causes and conditions are right.

I was "Ander Behiring Breivik", I don't want to be like him anymore, hence I choose to listen to what our friend Sakymuni Buddha is suggesting to change our ways.

Comments

  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/8658428/Norway-killer-Anders-Behring-Breiviks-grooming.html

    The recent tragic event in Norway where 86 teachers were yuthlessly executed like in a computer game because of their "political ideals".

    I feel that this "evil" character can be a good warning for everyone to self-reflect on the dangerous of the 5 poisons within us!

    I've hated alot of people in the past due to their political views, because the cause is my own insecurity. When you also mix vanity and addiction to computer games and fantasies for violence...

    Terrible events will happen when all the causes and conditions are right.

    I was "Ander Behiring Breivik", I don't want to be like him anymore, hence I choose to listen to what our friend Sakymuni Buddha is suggesting to change our ways.

    Glad to hear you wanting to change!
    Do you listen to Hip Hop? And if so, what do you think of the violence it portrays?
  • woooo! Anyone who dares to question my pacifism can talk ta my Ak on the backseat of my Whip!!! KNow wat im sayin?!
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    No.
    That completely contradicts your sentiments in the first post.
    Pack it in and grow up.
  • I believe it was a joke.
  • YishaiYishai Veteran
    edited July 2011
    Firstly, I apologize for WALL OF TEXT that follows:

    NOTa, I don't believe the computer games had anything to do with it. I play video games, some violent, some not. That doesn't make me violent or want to kill anything.

    Underneath Anders' terrorism was mental instability. Addiction (if it was such a thing) hints that he had an obsessive personality. To me, blaming video games is almost like blaming a killing on a gun, not the person. People kill for many reasons. Many times it's over women, property, religion, and politics. Anders had many eccentric, fanatical, extreme beliefs. I find that those beliefs are the main culprit. And you don't need violent video games to kill. People have been killing each other far longer than any game has existed.

    I think it's ridiculous that people in a first-world country must die for people to feel/recognize/see the tragedy of terrorism. Almost day I watch several articles come through my twitter stream that "XX number of people died in Pakistan today in a market square". Yet nobody seems to care about them (All 34,000 of them since 2003). Those people that committed those terrorist acts in Pakistan probably didn't play violent video games. They just had deluded social, religious, and moral beliefs.

    If you really want to argue against video games, here's some rationale:
    The character "Anders" from Dragon Age II may have affected the real-life Anders.

    The DA2 Anders is an apostate, a mage who is free from the Church and is hunted by Templars. Apostates are treated harshly by the Church and many are killed. The only way mages may live in peace is to live under the magnifying glass of the Church by being committed to the "Circle", a Church-controlled guild of mages.

    Anyway, the mage Anders, an apostate, is also possed by a spirit of vengeance (he took in a spirit of Valor, but it was transformed into Vengeance due to the hatred of the Church that Anders had within him). Anders struggles with this spirit of Vengeance, and it particularly flares up when he sees Templars or sees apostates being treated badly. In the game, there is this building tension between The Circle and The Templars through many different issues. And...

    [SPOILERS]
    Anders eventually has enough of the stalemate and destroys the chantry(Church) temple. This is the equivalent to blowing up a great cathedral with all the people in it. Anders says that enough was enough and that there is no room for compromise. Although he regrets his actions and is prepared to die for them, he thought it necessary to kill so many to begin a revolution for the mages.
    [END SPOILERS]

    Which is strikingly in parallel with the real Anders Behring Breivik. Anders was religiously and politically motivated. It is possible that the game gave him more conviction, but any story that talks about somebody choosing violence over peace in order to make action could have done the same.
    I know you don't like me because I'm not a straight-edge Buddhist and I cling to my poisons and delusions and such. And this probably demerits everything I say before I say it.

    I also doubt you are "Anders Behring Breivik" or were. Hating people and killing people are very different. Being insecure and being mentally unstable, very different.

    When you take mental instability, and mix in vanity, obsession, conviction, and a reason to act, you get very terrible things. His religiosity gave him the conviction and reason. His obsession drove him to the extremes of that religion. His instability gave him the ability to act in an inhumane way.

    I really hope that you weren't that person. And if you were, congratulations on stopping at the edge. We can be loving but strong. Gentle but firm. Wisdom is most important in applying loving-kindness skillfully.
  • What does Buddhism say about how we should regard and treat people like Anders Behring Breivik? I'm afraid to express compassion to him for fear of reprisal against me from others who don't feel I should be compassionate. Or do I just face that fear anyway?
  • How should we treat extremists in general?
  • YishaiYishai Veteran
    edited July 2011
    What does Buddhism say about how we should regard and treat people like Anders Behring Breivik? I'm afraid to express compassion to him for fear of reprisal against me from others who don't feel I should be compassionate. Or do I just face that fear anyway?
    We show compassion to all people. That does not mean we applaud them or agree with their actions. But we try to understand the suffering that this person must know. We should have compassion to the people harmed by his actions and he, himself.

    Face that fear. It is the same fear that begets more suffering. Yelling angry words and condemning them does not help anybody's suffering. Only loving-kindness can heal those wounds.

  • What does Buddhism say about how we should regard and treat people like Anders Behring Breivik? I'm afraid to express compassion to him for fear of reprisal against me from others who don't feel I should be compassionate. Or do I just face that fear anyway?
    Pray for him and his victims.
  • I agree completely with Yishai and Karma Dondrup Tashi. We need not agree with the actions of people like this, nor do we need to excuse them as acceptable. We do however need to find it within our hearts to extend compassion for such people, whether we vocalize it or not.

    I do think that we need to be careful what we say in situations like this, as far as having compassion for the perpetrators goes. We need to exercise compassion for the victims and their families as well. And to me, part of that is remaining silent on the topic - until there has been ample time for healing - other than to give my heartfelt compassion and condolences to the victims and their families.

    Namaste'

    Kwan Kev
  • aMattaMatt Veteran
    edited July 2011
    @claythescribe ,

    I love the question "How do we find compassion for someone who did XYZ" because it shows how we consider people solid generators of action, rather than slaves of conditioned reaction. Remember Buddha noted that we are afflicted with patterns of behavior, they are not "us" so much as a mental disease.

    It might be common sense then to say "we feel compassion for people affected by suffering, afflicted with disease." The killings were terrible for all involved. Because of human ignorance, there were victims needlessly killed, and a perpetrator needlessly killing. Sad for both sides. :(

    But because others feel attached and angry, it is really only skillful to bring up this view if they ask, so it will cool the anger. Unasked for, it is more likely to compound the clinging to solid views of self. From your side, notice that if someone is angry at Anders, that is their mental disease. So, just reach out to them in a way that works for them. Don't try to convince people to be compassionate, it needs to slowly bloom and take root deep enough to outshine the anger at upsetting phenomena like this. Then, they'll ask the question, like you did. :)

    With warmth,

    Matt
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    I think now is a good time to point out that the rate of violence for schizophrenics is lower than for the general population with the exception of self violence.
  • Don't blame the person. The fault lies in the 3 roots of greed, hatred and delusion aka wrong view. Kill only the root causes.
  • I don't think hating Anders Breivik solves anything. If anything you should forgive him, not for him but for yourself. (I would still put him on trial and throw the book at him.)
  • zenffzenff Veteran
    Many political and religious ideas have a clear structure of black and white, good and bad.
    That makes them - generally speaking - gross simplifications or just plain nonsense.
    Fortunately many people can see through them and place basic human sense above artificial political and religious separations. But not all people, not all the time.

    Political and religious violence is of all times.
    The really disturbing thing is the method of indiscriminate killing, the method of terror.
    This violence has only one purpose; creating horror and outrage.
    Horror and outrage is attention and that’s the goal: being noticed.

    And it worked pretty well.
    We noticed Breivik and we talk about his political agenda.
    That’s exactly what he wants. That’s what his victims died for.

  • I don't think hating Anders Breivik solves anything. If anything you should forgive him, not for him but for yourself. (I would still put him on trial and throw the book at him.)
    I just feel sad for him and his victims. Really shows that all "evil" comes having a self thats heavily attached to "Greed, Anger, Ignorance/Delusion, Arrogance and Doubt."

    We really are all equal when it comes to the source of our wholesomeness and unwholesomeness.
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