The evil Norwegian mass-murderer quoted John Stuart Mill in claiming that one man with a belief is more powerful than 100,000 men who have only "interests". Poor JSM must be turning in his grave. In fact, the latest slaughterer - a neo-Nazi "Christian" who no doubt looked for other father figures having not seen his own since 1995 - has more in common with Islamic fascist jihadists. No question that many such killers have possessed similar "belief". But as much damage as they do in the short and medium term, which obviously feels like an eternity of grief, in the long run their destructive, monomaniacal obsession always reveals itself to be a weakness, not a strength.
I prefer to quote Ethics of the Fathers: "Who is strong? He who conquers his evil inclination, as it is said: 'Better is one slow to anger than a strong man, and one who rules over his spirit than a conqueror of a city' (Proverbs 16:32)."
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At the risk of an unseemly juxtaposition, I was also reminded of this quote when, like everyone else, I thought about the tragic death of Amy Winehouse. Some say it was inevitable but the news still came as a terrible shock.
Having bought and downloaded her first two albums last night, I was listening to the track "Stronger than Me", in which she berates an older boyfriend for being too weak and effeminate, forcing her to be the one to wear the trousers in the relationship. "Feel like a lady but you my lady-boy". Wonderfully comic lyrics but no surprise that the relationship ended. Winehouse clearly looked for strength in all the wrong places, notoriously in her use of drugs and her ill-advised marriage. Her junkie ex-husband is currently in jail for armed robbery.
And it seems her most recent boyfriend, whom she apparently wanted to marry, did not feel up to the job of battling her deep-rooted demons. I'm sure he was no lady-boy either.
Rest in peace, Amy.
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