It's controversial, and I do believe we must take responsibility for our actions, but how can one mature if trauma disrupts their emotional development - impacting their psyche? What hope do we have as a society if our attitude is to demonise and permanently ostracise mentally unhealthy individuals? The following is a sensitive read, so please consider the possibility of feeling triggered. I think it's crucial we acknowledge those who have committed an atrocity were once innocent, and that we are as capable of such destruction. They are not fundamentally different, not ‘spiritually evil’ or wicked beings. It’s easier to have this perception over acceptance, especially if you directly felt their ruination through any form of interaction or contact. But behind their eyes is a lost child. Consequently, other than physically, they cannot take complete form as an adult, so the adult grows with the mind of a damaged child, and the child's emotional trauma expands within the body of an adult, which manifests in acts of cruelty or self-inflicted suffering. This aligns with what I wrote about the animal. The animal, which exists within us all, is the primitive nature we cannot escape - though we can manage a healthy relationship with it. However, if this is not achieved due to unresolved issues that have disrupted the relationship, the result can be catastrophic. It's an animal leading a lost child into the wilderness, bearing the scars of the previous suffering and making immature decisions based on these experiences. I offer this as consideration to a complex topic.
