Monster

382 words

Monster

In the beginning the monster was harmless. For millenniums it lay dormant in the bowels of earth and waited, went unfed until a chosen life form arrived.

Man and all his sons and daughters spread across the continents inhabiting all that could be seen. New ways and different ideas were born from necessity; creating opposing ideology. Throughout history wars were fought and great civilizations drew breath from greed, hate and jealousy. The aggressor took advantage of the downtrodden; while neighbor killed neighbor.

Now the monster had nourishment. Its voracious appetite was sated by mankind’s behavior. Feeding on hate, spurred by man’s fear, the monster grew; becoming more and more powerful with each passing century. The monster flourished on battlefields, in castle dungeons and London’s back alleys. It dwelled in the minds of tyrants, greedy kings and queens and ruthless dictators.

The monster existed, always invisible and at times masked with different names; hiding behind causes known only to the believers. Its presence caused man to build walls and create gods for protection. It lived in the minds of all those allowing it and made others strong through resistance to its temptations.

Lurking in the shadows, hiding behind reason, it was there when the Roman Legion nailed the Son of God to the cross.

It thrived in the Coliseum of Rome as the 50,000 citizens cheered the beast on. Watching their enemy ravaged by claws was called entertainment. Entertainment was just another name for the monster.

Prisoners suffering abuse in the Soviet Union’s Gulags knew the monster only too well as did the Jews of Nazi Germany. The monster smiled with gratification at Auschwitz and Buchenwald.

The demon was satisfied at Wounded Knee in 1890 and counted its victories at Andersonville.

It was there in the halls of Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.

Not one man, nor one woman, nor one nation, nor one army can claim sole ownership of the monster. It lives in the minds of all those willing to give it a home.

“Evil” is the monster’s name.