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Zombies and Ethics
This will be a hypothetical post. It is not meant to be the important issues, but rather simply a mind teaser. Please do not be harsh on me. It is in the General Banter.
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The typical zombie story will go something like this: A "super-flu" breaks out, killing the many of thousands of people. It is a very infectious disease of huge proportions and fears of the epidemic are becoming reality. Eventually, scientists are able to produce a vaccine for the virus... but it turns out, the vaccine was not thoroughly tested and contained a mutated form of this flu, causing the patients to actually reanimate after "death" occurs. The new virus remains dormant in the brain until the "death" occurs, where the virus suddenly takes over the dying cells and mutates them. Brain function is slowed and mainly primal instincts remain, along with a bad temper and hunger. These infected people are essentially zombies.
The infected people start spreading the virus and then killing their victims, thus reanimating them and creating more zombies. This happens until the many people are infected. These people are born killers and try to destroy anything in their path.
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How would you act, as a Buddhist, in a situation like this? How would a monk act? I am the curious, as I may be thinking about writing a story about zombies from a Buddhist monks point of view. I think it would be interesting.
Would it be ethical to kill a zombie? How about looting to get food and supplies? Fighting away looters? Would you hide, run, find a safe place, stay where you are?
Perhaps this is not an entirely real scenario. Although, an infectious virus similar to rabies that could be worse (and essentially create crazed people or "zombies") is a mildly true possibility, or so have I heard.
Thank you all for reading.
--
The typical zombie story will go something like this: A "super-flu" breaks out, killing the many of thousands of people. It is a very infectious disease of huge proportions and fears of the epidemic are becoming reality. Eventually, scientists are able to produce a vaccine for the virus... but it turns out, the vaccine was not thoroughly tested and contained a mutated form of this flu, causing the patients to actually reanimate after "death" occurs. The new virus remains dormant in the brain until the "death" occurs, where the virus suddenly takes over the dying cells and mutates them. Brain function is slowed and mainly primal instincts remain, along with a bad temper and hunger. These infected people are essentially zombies.
The infected people start spreading the virus and then killing their victims, thus reanimating them and creating more zombies. This happens until the many people are infected. These people are born killers and try to destroy anything in their path.
--
How would you act, as a Buddhist, in a situation like this? How would a monk act? I am the curious, as I may be thinking about writing a story about zombies from a Buddhist monks point of view. I think it would be interesting.
Would it be ethical to kill a zombie? How about looting to get food and supplies? Fighting away looters? Would you hide, run, find a safe place, stay where you are?
Perhaps this is not an entirely real scenario. Although, an infectious virus similar to rabies that could be worse (and essentially create crazed people or "zombies") is a mildly true possibility, or so have I heard.
Thank you all for reading.
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Comments
I would make makeshift weapons out of spare parts such as a chain saw that is rigged to a propane tank and shoots fire.
:rockon:
ahh... a girl can dream.
on a side note, in your scenario, i don't feel bad killing things that are already dead and about to cause pain and havoc to the living. it's like that story of the buddha where he was on a boat with several men and he became aware that one of the men was plotting to kill the others. the buddha took the negative karma unto himself by killing the man before he could kill the other men.
Looting and dealing with the living over resources could get messy. Though if the outbreak is really bad there should be enough stuff to go around.
The best defensive position against zombies is an upper floor with the staircase removed. The zombies can't get up and you can off them at your liesure. The one potential danger of this strategy is attracting too much attention and getting stuck there without resources. Some kind of long pole weapon with a spike on the end that can kill a zombie without alerting any nearby is a must.
In the TV show The Walking Dead there's a difference of opinion if the zombies are still alive or dead in the second season.
I don't think it's bad to take out the zombies; they're dead, or at least *I* believe them to be. Can you kill something that's dead? Besides, let's assume you think they're still alive - maybe it is a type of compassion to put a zombie out of their misery. I've always promised my loved ones that if they got bitten by a zombie, I'd take them out. I think it's kinder.
(Don't forget to plant sunflowers and peashooters!)
http://www.cracked.com/article_15643_5-scientific-reasons-zombie-apocalypse-could-actually-happen.html
Think of Congo for example, the longest civil war in history, the second most bloody conflict in history, 85% of women were raped, cannibalism...
The only difference with a movie zombie apocalypse is that the virus is money and greed from the extreme demand for the minerals...
Or check out the "vice guide to Liberia" on youtube if you have the stomach for it, and see hell on earth.
Liberia is more like the aftermath of apocalypse.
Anyone want to chime in about the "Yakshas and Zombies" in the 21 Praises to Tara? I understand Yaksha and perhaps the translation is off, but why include "zombies"? Does it mean actual zombies or is there a greater understanding of the 21 Praises to mean if one chants the mantra and recites the 21 Praises to Tara then the "yakshas and zombies" are figurative internal fears and ememies? Thanks much!
Zombies are Buddhist! :eek:
Werewolfs are not possible.
Vampires are not possible.
Frankenstein's monster is not possible.
Many Hollywood monsters are the impossible. But zombies, or at least very deadly virus, is far from the realm of science fiction.
That is why I think it intrigues us so. It puts is in a "What would I do in this situation?" position.
The new show the Walking Dead revolves around the idea of that very much. Are zombies humans? Should we kill them? Are they still family? What do I do? Where do I go? Is life worth living?
We would learn much of human nature when the dead start to walk.
Of course if such a situation ever arose as the OP said measures would have to be taken to make sure they are destroyed monks would not be above defending their selves someones got to keep the Dharma living
I see it much in the same way as removing a corpse from a populated area, since that corpse would breed disease which would kill the living.
Kill, kill, kill. At the end of the day either their corpses or mine will be in the streets. In a situation like this, you really don't have the luxury of ethics, sorry to say.