#2

How different is your modern culture from the Sawi tenants?

The Sawi culture differs from my modern culture in that the physical embodiment of evil is more obvious. This phrase is seemingly very prejudice and judgemental. Granted, my perspective can never be balanced and I can never be open-minded and thus I will attempt to not put on a facade when I write. 

Take notice of the words "physical embodiment of evil" as they are essential to understanding my point. I specifically chose those words because I believe that no human being is perfect and that all have a sinful nature. It says in Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." I believe that all men are capable of evil acts, but modern society does not take the same route to show their evil. For example, it is quite plain that in the Sawi culture they promote violence and uphold treachery. Quotes such as "fattening with friendship for the slaughter" and "What mattered, after all, was not the number of heads taken, but the quality of the treachery that secured them." clearly display their acceptance of cannibalism. 

Going back to my modern culture. Cannibalism is killing, and although my modern society does not justify cannibalism, they do justify certain types of killing. These types of killings are often called "mercy killings" where, usually an elderly person, is killed by injection or the halt in life support. These killings are usually done in the justification that it is better for the person and that it is their will, however if that option is truly better for them, as many state, then I would argue that it is better for all people of the world. Why should we have to live in a world of suffering knowing that in the next life we will be in Heaven-for Christians, or it will "all be over"-for atheists? I believe that these killings are a form of murder and thus forbidden by God. Another example of treachery in our modern society is abortion. Abortion is the killing of an unborn child which is done of the justification of "women's rights", however upon hearing that, ignoring my moral views, I would argue that the woman has just as much as a "right" as the man since the child belongs to both of them. The child is not 100% the woman's and 0% the man's or vice versa, he/she is 50% of the woman's and 50% of the man's, and nothing can change that. I also believe that this is killing and thus forbidden by God. Both of these are prime examples of "treachery" in this "modern" world. 

Onto the final part of my statement which contains the word "obvious", once again essential to the understanding of my idea. Because of the blatant support of the whole tribe to kill and eat people, I would consider the physical embodiment of evil more obvious. As Aristotle states, "Evil draws men together.", this is displayed not only in the combined community effort to insure that the most deceitful way of securing the victims was accomplished but also by the fact that eating human flesh was a "requirement" for the society, evidenced by the by the Sawi word "kerkeriyap" which means "squeamish". That word was used to show that the eating of human flesh is not natural to humans and thus, makes the evil more "obvious" in the sense that it is evil one does not see everyday. Cannibalism is such a degraded tradition upon which to base a society. Thomas Elliot stated that: "It is by no means self-evident that human beings are most real when most violently excited; violent physical passions do not in themselves differentiate men from each other, but rather tend to reduce them to the same state.", the Sawi men want to become legends and legend makers-they want to have that honor, well shown by Maum, Sauni and Mavu's willingness to help Kani in his fateful deed, but do they realize the irony of their actions? The violence that procures their honor dehumanizes them in the process-therefore not really making them different then the man they just killed and/or ate. In the movie, The Matrix, Andy and Larry Wachowski give a great quote, "To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human.". Cannabilism is not natural and affects more than just the individuals that partook of the ritual. This goal of treachery has negative affects on the society as each man attempts to outshine the man before him through using innovative ways to lure someone to kill. If I were to sum up the result of the goal in relation to society, a quote from Randy K. Milholland is quite appropriate, "There are people I know who won't hurt me. I call them corpses.". Although this may be seen as humorous, it is a fairly good portrayal of the severe lack of trust that occurs as a result of the goal. 

Citations:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mari_coan/211198101/