Yes, the Ever-lasting contrast. Since existence has known, the 'fight' between good & evil has continued. Obviously, this fight can never end. Good things turn bad, bad things become good. My fav. contrasting symbol, because it is so true & means so much – the battle between good & bad never ends… Here we ponder on the tragedy of Dylan Klebold.
Tag: Dylan and Eric
Changes beget Choices
March 1998
An attempt at distancing Eric…
“It took two months for the Diversion program to begin. In the meantime, Tom and I worked together to tighten the reins at home. We created a curfew schedule, limited Dylan’s social activities, took away his computer keyboard, and restricted his driving privileges. We searched his room regularly, and told him he could not spend any free time with Eric. He was expected to spend time with us, and to be cooperative when he did. Work and his participation in plays at the school were constructive influences, and he would continue to be able to do those things.
Dylan did make efforts to extricate himself from the relationship with Eric. My guilt about this, in particular, fills me with despair. After the two boys got into trouble in their junior year, Dylan made an attempt to distance himself, and he asked for my help. We developed an internal shorthand: If Eric called to ask Dylan to do something, he’d say, “Let me ask my mom,” and shake his head at me. I’d say, loudly enough to be heard on the other end of the line, “I’m sorry, but you can’t go out tonight, Dylan. You promised you’d clean your room/do your homework/join us for dinner.”
At the time, I was simply happy that Dylan wanted distance. I had told both my sons they always use me as an excuse in an emergency. I was thinking particularly of drinking and driving, but I meant any unsafe situation. So I was pleased, not only that Dylan had taken me up on my long-standing offer, but that he’d found a way to separate from his friend without hurting Eric’s feelings.
After I saw the dynamic between Eric and Dylan on the Basement Tapes, I found myself revisiting this episode in a new light. If Dylan didn’t want to go out with Zack or Nate or Robyn or any of his other friends, he simply told them so: “Nah, I can’t this weekend. I need to write this paper.” Only with Eric did he need me to bail him out. I never wondered about that or thought to ask Dylan: “Why can’t you just say no?” Asking for my help seemed like a sign of his good judgment, but afterward I realized that it was a portent of something much more disturbing. It was a sign I had missed until it was too late..” – Sue Klebold
Summer 1997 and 1998
Zack distancing Dylan – Dylan aligning with Eric – Eric distancing Zack
“The Subject stated that during that summer (’97), he (Zack Heckler) had met a girl identified as Devon and that ht two of them spent a lot of time together. The subject stated that he went to Pennsylvania for two weeks during this summer and that during that time, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had built their first pipe bomb.
The subject stated thatthis past summer, 1998, Eric Harris really didn’t like him for some unknown reason, but the subject stated that he was still good friends with Dylan Klebold.” – Zack Heckler from the 11k
June 1998 Dylan writes…
me 6-10-98 i think i don’t care
Forever fate, up & down spiral
1.5 human years … so much changed in small time, my friends (at my choice) are depleting & collapsing under each other (Eric & redacted (Zack) ) like I thought they would, I am ready to be with [redacted] The ups & downs of fate are forever, good & bad equal me.‡ the lost highway, downward spiral never end. existence is like infinity times itself. —
..the dynamic is solidified; the wheels are set in motion……
Mercury not only rules communication, it represents coordination. Thought processes, ideas, and sensory information from both conscious and unconscious sources all need to be coordinated and understood. Mercury analyzes, sorts, groups, and makes sense of things. How do we handle nervous energy? How do we express and convey our thoughts? How do we approach others and information in order to learn and exchange ideas?
Mercury is the messenger of the gods and is ruled by Gemini and Virgo and and the Third and Sixth Houses. . Mercury is the messenger in Astrology as it is in Mythology. It is the planet of day-to-day expression and communication. It is connected to communication, reasoning, intellect and awareness. Due to its affect on brain power, Mercury will show short term planning, observation and deductive reasoning abilities. Mercury’s action is to take things apart and put them back together again. It is an opportunistic planet, decidedly unemotional and curious. Mercury looks for opportunity to act. It inspires ideas, thought processes and the unconscious mind, which all must be coordinated. Analytical ability, sorting and grouping and other methods of making sense of things all come from this planet.
In modern times, we tend to “meet” people’s Mercury first. Many people make a connection for the first time through e-mails, for example. Mercury rules whether we are flowery in our speech and/or written words, concise in our choice of words, or business-like even in our personal communications. Mercury not only rules communication, it represents coordination. Thought processes, ideas, and sensory information from both conscious and unconscious sources all need to be coordinated and understood. Mercury analyzes, sorts, groups, and makes sense of things. How do we handle nervous energy? How do we express and convey our thoughts? How do we approach others and information in order to learn and exchange ideas?
When we are “acting out” our Mercury, we are inquisitive, curious, communicative, and versatile. On the negative side, we can be high-strung or nervous, nit-picky, indecisive, and overly technical.
Mercury in Libra
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Mercury in Libra is pleasing. They are natural diplomats, or at least make the effort. They wish everyone were equal in the intellectual circles.
It is very important for them to have a mental connection to those they have relationships with. Chances are, if they feel there is no connection, it is because Mercury in Libra is trying too hard to be intellectual in their relationships instead of paying attention. They have a need for fairness, but their constant comparisons can appear to be unfair instead.
While they strive for perfection and can’t help criticizing, they try to be tactful. They are always looking for compromise, so everyone is happy. Opinions from either end of the spectrum can make them uncomfortable, but if they favor the middle ground, Libra Mercury is happy. This creates a great personality for a counselor or mediator. It may also cause them to be indecisive. They can’t help but see both sides to everything. This may cause them to lose out on opportunities sometimes because they take too long.
Mercury in Libra can be objective because they are able to think in the abstract. They are intelligent, but it is subtle. They don’t push it on anyone. They don’t like to play the bad guy, and will drive themselves mad trying to make everyone happy.
Mercury in Libra is good at networking with people, but due to a trend towards mental laziness, they may not always follow up on those connections or maintain them. They often turn to others for opinions when they need to make a decision. They may have a fondness for playing devil’s advocate. They are usually rational and well balanced. They don’t like arguments and prefer to have a quiet discussion.
Libra Mercury is friendly and broad minded, but they can stick to their principles when need be. They don’t like conflict or when people act in a crude manner. Quickly changing situations can be difficult for Mercury in Libra because they don’t adapt very fast. They prefer to study an issue and slowly come to a decision.
Mercury in Libra likes the arts and they enjoy literature. Culture is important to them. If they are not expressive in the arts themselves, they enjoy supporting others. They may not like seeing the darker side of life, and may appear to be rather shallow.
Libra Mercury is fun at parties. They are easy going, warm and charming. They may have talents as a speaker or performer of some kind. They need to learn that it is okay to disagree. Once that lesson has been understood, life becomes much easier for them. Writing comes naturally to them, and they are good at merging ideas. Overall, they work well with almost anyone.
When you date someone with Mercury in Libra, you can assume that their mind is almost always on your relationship. Libra is the sign of partnership and all Libra wishes for is to please their lover and be appreciated in return.
Mercury in Libra isn’t the type to think about sex in a raunchy sense; Libra prefers class and grace when it comes to dating and love. In fact, this is one of the most romantic signs of the zodiac so a great deal of mental energy will be spent on thinking up new ways to seduce you. What you will love most about Mercury in Libra is the ability to truly understand your point of view. In a relationship, that is priceless.
Mercury In Aries
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Mercury in Aries is quick thinking. They don’t have a lot of patience for studying every angle to every problem… they would rather make a decision and let you know. Candid and direct, they get to the point.
While they may appear crude or aggressive at times, it is usually because they are trying to overcome opposition to their ideas. Like a child, it doesn’t occur to them that someone may disagree with them, and so they may act out of frustration. Mercury in Aries is very attached to their ideas.
They tend to streamline their learning so they don’t get too bogged down in details. They take what they want and dismiss anything they feel may be irrelevant. Mercury in Aries has a certain innocent charm. They love to begin new things, and they are very enthusiastic. Any negative criticism will be taken personally, even if it was not meant that way. They are not afraid to stand up to a challenge. While idealistic, they are very intelligent.
Aries Mercury may quickly jump from old ideas to new if they seem more exciting. They are excellent promoters. They know how to motivate people and make things sound fun. They enjoy competing with others, and may argue a point just for fun.
They are mentally agile and can think well on their feet. Obstacles in their path are terribly frustrating for them. This may bleed over to other areas in their life as well as communication. Aries Mercury is known for their impatience.
Concentration may be difficult for long periods of time. It is easy for them to jump to conclusions, and they tend to be impulsive. Witty and inventive, they are great conversationalists as long as they don’t need to delve deeply into a subject. As charming as they may be, they can also be brutally honest.
They will do anything to win an argument, even with those they love. Aries Mercury can become a terrible know-it-all if this is not controlled. On the other hand, they can let their confidence inspire others with excitement. They tend to be original, and stand out in their areas of expertise. They are challenged to learn to love details and stick through projects no matter how tedious.
Opinionated almost to a fault, Mercury in Aries is quick to share theirs even when it isn’t wanted. They are not blessed with a lot of tact. They are restless, and seem full of nervous energy. They need to be kept busy, and often don’t seem to have any to spare. They like to do things their own way; they don’t like to be told what to do. Aries Mercury can be a great leader, and even when not in such a position, they may have a handful of followers. Their excitement and enthusiasm is infectious.
When Mercury is in Aries you can be sure of one thing – honest and blunt communication. This Mercury placement will waste little time on conversation unless the talk is new, fresh and stimulating. In a relationship, someone with Mercury in Aries is often the initiator and may have more than a few sexy pick up lines at his disposal.
It’s common for those with Mercury in Aries to be fast talkers. This person will enjoy the occasional argument with a lover so don’t expect dating to be peaceful. There is only one thing you can count on when it comes to talking to your Mercury in Aries lover – it will never get boring!
I recently found this article commentary by Devon on what constitutes ‘Evil’ and decided it was definitely post worthy. 🙂 Any future articles I find of hers will post with this title above^^ for easy searching.
Thank you for that. One of my arguments from very soon after the shootings at Columbine were that we needed to find forgiveness for the shooters and their families and friends. This is a call that has been widely ignored.
After the shootings at Columbine, many people said that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were “evil.” I struggled with that not only because I knew them and I knew that Dylan, in particular, was not “evil.” It was discovered that both young men, documentably Eric and anecdotally (and with post-mortem psychological investigation) Dylan had severe mental health issues. Even with this information, I believe that a conscious choice was made to commit the shootings and thus, as I understand it, their actions would be evil. Or, because of their mental illnesses, would their actions not be evil?
Another situation to ponder are the actions of certain community members after Columbine (and to this day) who refuse to allow any public recognition of the grief experienced by the friends and family of Eric and Dylan. One event in particular, the two crosses erected for them being ripped out of the ground, stands as a symbol. To me, the man who put up 15, rather than 13, crosses was acting out a great act of love that brought comfort to those of us laden with guilt and grief that we couldn’t express for fear of retaliation (emotional or physical). The act of ripping those crosses out of the ground was an act of pure, raw anger. It was an act done out of selfishness, intolerance, and hatred towards not only the killers, but everyone who wanted to mourn them, but couldn’t. To me, that act and the exclusions that have followed have caused incalculable pain to myself and others. But there’s no word for that act. There’s no “classifying” term. I’m not saying that the act was evil, but if I understand the definition correctly (no guarentee there), these are acts committed by a group of people acting selfishly with the intent of injurying others (emotionally) – so that would place this in the realm of evil.
Or does evil only exist where there is physical harm?
I know that was a bit rambling, but I am having trouble organizing my brain at the moment. A summary, of sorts: having seen so much “easily” definable evil, I wonder about these things that cause irreparable harm, but that no one seems to think are wrong but those who are on the receiving end.
Thank you for your time, Courts. And you were certainly in my thoughts yesterday.
As you are in mine. Thank you for that–I’d say that it hasn’t been an easy week but no week is easy.
Dylan and Eric weren’t evil and what they did wasn’t evil. Pre-meditated? Sure. Caused by mental illness? Possibly. But, in the end, they were criminals who committed a terrible and horrific crime.
In Columbine, very angry, very hurt individuals tore down crosses. In Blacksburg, very angry, very hurt individuals refused to lay a stone for Cho. Both fly in the face of the kinds of forgiveness and compassion that grant understanding and transcendence.
But you’ve hit on an important point–we argue that evil is wrought upon the bodies of victims. Baumeister, who wrote a book about evil, talks about “white collar evil.” The concept is ludicrous. There is no evil without, as you say, physical harm.
There are, obviously, many facets to our understanding of evil–the notion of the political and modernism, anxiety and loss, intent and choice, group dynamics, dehumanization and ideology, physical harm. Together I think they give us a better understanding of evil.
But I in no way want to diminish the kinds of irreparable harm and human suffering that fall outside what we call evil.
One of my arguments from very soon after the shootings at Columbine were that we needed to find forgiveness for the shooters and their families and friends. This is a call that has been widely ignored.
Yeah, I also thought that for years myself and it’s sad that it’s, as you’ve stated, ignored.
However, as you’ve probably read in one of your recent columns, MissDev, I stated that there may be a sea change in this now, at least amongst the general public, when I cited the example of the reaction to Ric Flair’s WWE hall of fame speech last year when he mentioned Chris Benoit and that he didn’t get a negative response for it( http://www.nationalledger.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=23&num=19765 ).
Another situation to ponder are the actions of certain community members after Columbine (and to this day) who refuse to allow any public recognition of the grief experienced by the friends and family of Eric and Dylan. One event in particular, the two crosses erected for them being ripped out of the ground, stands as a symbol. To me, the man who put up 15, rather than 13, crosses was acting out a great act of love that brought comfort to those of us laden with guilt and grief that we couldn’t express for fear of retaliation (emotional or physical).
Again, as I’ve stated, I think that it’s changing now and I think that this is an intresting subject to ponder and I particularly have to thank Courts for exploring this topic and to MissDev and everyone else who posted on this topic for their thoughts on this subject.
The Everlasting Contrast 