human nature

It is an animal instinct to kill.  It is in our blood, because humans are, in fact, animals.  The only difference is that since humans are so much more complex and advanced than other animals, we can blame homicides on us being scheming and conniving.  We are intelligent enough to plan and carry out mass killings and genocides.  In a way, it is a beautiful combination of animalistic instincts and human intelligence.  I believe that we have forgotten how truly wild we are.  We would all like to believe that we are civilized, but think about it: what if all the animals in the world had the intelligence and competence of humans?  Our world would be nothing like we'd ever imagine.  People try to blame the actions of killers (who participate in genocides) on there mental stability or lack thereof.  But really, what is so "crazy" about a human being (who is also an animal) killing another?  It is in our nature to kill.  We may think that we are above killing one another, and we should be, but in reality we will never stop killing, whether we kill other species or each other. 

Another excuse people use to try and explain genocides is Social Darwinism and Charles Darwin's idea of "survival of the fittest".  Although Darwin himself never promoted any social ideas, some thinkers used his theories to support their own beliefs about society.  Applying the idea of "survival of the fittest" to war and economic competition is Social Darwinism.  During the Industrial Revolution, factory owners and people of the upper class were seen to be for "fit" than those they put out of business.  War brought progress by weeding out weak nations, and victory was seen as proof of superiority.  Social Darwinism encouraged racism, a pseudoscientific belief that one racial group is superior to another.  By the late 1800s, many people claimed the success of Western civilization was due to the supremacy of the white race.  These beliefs started a ripple effect across the world, as racism has flared throughout the years.

Of course, no specific person is to blame for putting these thoughts into our heads, but we are truly a violent society. Violence can pretty much be seen anywhere and everywhere in the media, almost as much as sex.  Movies, books, magazines, video games, TV shows, they all show violence in some way, shape, or form. Even music can depict violence.  We hear about horrible crimes that happen everyday. As a society, I feel that we have become almost numb to violence, if not oblivious.  This is, of course, a generalization, but we hear about the war going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet it doesn't really directly affect us.  The only reason we'd care is if there was someone we knew fighting for us overseas.  The closest we can get to feeling some pain about death and violence is if it happens to someone close to us.  I'm not saying that people should be hypersensitive and go hysterical when something bad happens to someone, but we should just be a little more understanding of death. Maybe then it wouldn't be so easy for people to kill one another, especially in large quantities.

In a perfect world, people would not feel the need to kill one another, but that would also be an impossible thing.  I believe in the theory that people are naturally evil.  We will always feel the need to do something that goes completely against our self-proclaimed "nature".  Our world is corrupt, but that is what makes it beautiful.  Death is a beautiful thing, but killing is not.  Genocides and murders are horrifying, but I bet that death is somewhat blissful.  I feel strange even thinking this way, and I probably sound strange, but that is just my opinion.  On the other hand, without all these people killing each other, think about how much more populous the world would be.  We are already overpopulated as we speak.  Ths is probably another strange or horrible thought, but I'm just trying to be frank.  In summary, I think that the only reason people should feel the need to kill someone is because it is an animal instinct.  It is also a human instinct to put an end to that impulse before letting it get out of hand.  When horrible things like this happen, it doesn't really surprise me in the aspect of our human nature, because our actual human nature calls for us to kill.