Wednesday 16 May 2012

Killing can be addictive!

Mosquitoes, like lizards, are very common-place in India. Unlike lizards which are not as harmful and irritating, the mosquitoes are known to cause several diseases. To combat the growing menace of mosquitoes, there is a cheap tennis racket like device, made in China but found all over India, which is battery operated and is designed in such a way that one can use that device to kill mosquitoes while they are flying or are seated on the wall. If any mosquitoe is caught in the device, then it makes a whirring noise which indicates that an insect has been killed. When there is no electricity, people sit out side their homes and kill mosquitoes and other insects using that device. Well, what begins as an exercise to keep mosquitoes away gradually gives way to another instinct: That of killing.



I observed this trait in me when I was at a friend's place. The house was infested with mosquitoes and to combat that, seh gave me this tennis racket. First, I used this to swat the mosquitoes that were buzzing around me. Slowly, when there were no mosquitoes around me, I started searching mosquitoes to kill. I started walking around the house to find my kill. The ability to take a life started thrilling me. Finally, I was so exhausted that I threw away that devise. The devise went into the hands of my friend who accompanied me. He first started killing the mosquitoes that were around him. I was looking intently at his next step. Then, like me, he started looking out for mosquitoes to kill. Now, this was something that everyone did. I didn't know whether it was the killing or the device which made the task addictive.

Sometimes, even without the device, I have seen children killing mosquitoes and collecting them and then bragging, "I killed twenty-three mosquitoes." I wonder whether it is the same with killing humans. When a person first starts taking a life, it torments her/him but later when lives are taken, it sort of becomes addictive, I reckon. I have never spoken to a hitman before but would like to sometime. Talking of hitmen, I remember the film, Leon: The Professional, which was a very sensitive film about a hitman and a young girl. Natalie Portman makes her debut in this film.

So, killing could be addictive, right - mosquitoes or humans!

Image: Internet

33 comments:

  1. The comment vanished into thin air!!

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  2. I agree with you completely on that! Killing(insects:) is addictive!I used to fancy myself Yama Dharmaraja of the Ant Kingdom when I was about 4 yrs:)

    Nowadays,I do feel that God is punishing me sometimes:)

    Then I got hooked to a video game,Carmageddon where you get points for mowing down pedestrians.When I first got behind the wheel of my new car,lets just say I got an uneasy feeling and stopped playing the game:)

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  3. Hi Susan :-) I think I'll agree with you that people who kill other people started out scared and guilty for taking away another person's life. But as they have gotten used to it, it becomes more of a habit. It's sad (and scary too!) because this happens in real life.

    This was a thought-provoking post, Susan. Thank you for sharing! Take care and God bless :-)

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  4. General Dwight D Eisenhower, in an address to hundreds of thousands of troops preparing for battle, said, "Do not needlessly endanger your lives, until I give you the signal."

    (Realize that is off-topic, Susan Deborah, but I HAD to write it--grin!)

    ON topic!
    Very interesting stuff, as usual from your pen--keyboard. In Florida, we have especially tough time with those Peeps. They are B A D Peeps.

    I used to act the same with ants. On a city sidewalk, step on them on purpose, just to kill--when all they were guilty of was living life. How dreadful--me. Know this. It has become a habit, to look at the ants/insects (spiders, etc.) and say to them "You may live! That is the power I have over you."
    (Like a madman! Hahahah!)

    But mosquitoes I tolerate NOT! They drink my blood. at least the females do--grin!

    Thank you Susan Deborah.
    PEACE in your house!

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  5. Well it is addictive- I guess serial killers are such because of it- but their mental problems seem to be more serious than ours- common people.

    I believe we do keep the killing of annoying insects because we want to get rid of as many as possible- that's what I do with a similar device to kill flies... I feel the need to kill them all so I can sit comfortably without being disturbed for as long as there is another one daring get in...

    I would not kill other than insects that annoy my clean quiet place... I could not kill a rat, despite being so disgusting, or a lizard (for I love them!)
    So in answer to your question there, I've said it.

    I wish we had those rackets at my place... Must go and find out in one of those zillions Chinese shops here.
    :-)

    It's always a pleasure to interact in this great place of yours, Susan!

    Love and peace, my dear friend.

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  6. Absolutely agree - fortunately I don't have a very good bat - so the mosquitoes are well and thriving in my house! ;)

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  7. You are a very keen observer, Susan.

    I never ever kill mosquitoes, even if they bite me to death. Even when I went to my relatives' home, I never used this mosquito bat. Somehow I didn't have the heart to kill them.

    But had I used it, I would have been addicted to it, I guess.

    We are humans and yes, addicted to killing. It is a sickening truth and we must learn to curb that.

    Loved your post, Susan :)

    Keep blogging!:)

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  8. I am allergic to mosquito bites..and killing them is addictive with that bat...the burning sound of them.

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  9. Aiyayo.... shd be careful what i say around you.. dont want to die young :D

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  10. killing is addictive....it gives us a false sense of power...all life is precious is it not...andonce we bend in one area how easy is it in another?

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  11. Well, I've simply given up on trying to successfully kill any mosquitoes so I just slather on Odomos mosquito-repellant lotion onto my arms and legs before I venture out to mosquito-infested places. Luckily, our hospital campus has regular fogging so we don't have any skeeters here.

    As for the overarching topic of becoming addicted to killing, I've never experienced it myself - oddly enough, I was more fascinated by live insects which I would trap inside matchboxes and observe them through my magnifying glass like they did on the Discovery Channel - my mum really freaked when she found two grasshoppers and a centipede in my socks drawer when I was eight years old! :D

    But I'm very scared of red ants and bees - my natural instincts are flight rather than fight! :D

    Also, I'm the household insect-buster, because I'm not disgusted by the idea of grabbing them and placing them outside into the garden! :)

    I've seen this mosquito-killing-racquet thingy but I've never had to use one. I can't help but wonder whether it would evoke some suppressed instinct inside me.

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  12. haha Great post!! Too true!! I got the kill bug with this very device too!!!

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  13. Interesting observation, Susan! :)

    I am tempted to think that there could be some biological/physiological explanation for this. Akin to how hitting the punching bag could become addictive for some people over time. Maybe it is not so much the act of killing itself as it is the aggressive mechanism of the action which is addictive - swatting/ punching/ squeezing (the stress ball) etc.

    In fact, the 'kill' part of it could perhaps act as the inhibitor. Mosquitoes and ants are so small that we hardly ever feel the discomfort of taking a life away. I remember the time when I, in a stroke of irritation, squashed a pretty huge insect and felt some discomfort pass through me for sometime later.

    In short, I think certain kinds of physical activities give a vent for our innate aggression.

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  14. Oh, I hate mosquitoes, they are a nuisance and I am very sensitive to their bite, have severe reactions. So I would also be on a hunt after them.;)
    I think this post is philosophically interesting not just because of the potential killing instinct, but because of the subject of pure relativity of killing: How come we seem to think it is perfectly ok to kill hundreds of mosquitoes and get away with it, without it being a crime. Who decides that? They are also living creatures and have a right to be here, just as we do.;))) As you see, I can take this pretty far, so I better stop, hihi.;)
    Great post as always my dear friend;) Thank you also for your recent visit and all the lovely words and congratulations, here and on FB.;))

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  15. yes killing can become addictive
    nice post

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  16. Oh yes I have seen that movie LEON.. but that turned out sad in the end when he dies and the little girl changed him ..

    It is said that killing a human is addictive its that sudden power one feels .. on another note .. Can we ask china to make a racquet that can actually do something like this to our leaders and politcians.. not kill them but maybe kill their Mind, short circuit it or something .. It is a good idea though :)

    Bikram's

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  17. Killing mosquitoes and human cannot be compared... (Assuming)It takes a hell of gut and bravery to kill human being...For mosquitoes, flash and gone is the case... the racket experience you narrated... may be that bizzzz sound of killing adds a little fun.
    If terrorist are trained to treat humans as insects and your point is well taken.

    (Howz you...after long time on blogging world and it is your blog I logged in first! :) )

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  18. This is probably the most interesting topic you've come up with yet. I hate mosquitoes, but I hate killing them too. It's yucky, messy. Ugh. But, maybe if I was in a mosquito infested place, I'd consider it survival. Don't know about addiction regarding killing. But the dopamine in the brain I suppose can be stimulated by many things, including killing.

    Omg. Can't believe I'm taking about a killing addiction. Only you can motivate this type of conversation. Ha.

    Susan, you are unique. I'm so glad to know you.

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  19. Your post made me laugh and made me worry at the same time. we have this same tennis raquet at home, same color too. My husband has it in hand all day long searching for mosquitos, killing them, following them, and enjoying the sound of it and the smell too!

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  20. Very interesting thought you have shared here through the post Susan...love it!
    It could be true... though, I do kill mosquitoes or at least attempt to. Alas! it is them that win most of the times :-/

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  21. nice post!

    good observation, susan.
    yes, killing can be addictive. i hate mosquitoes (and cockroaches), but i hate killing them too.

    big hugs!

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  22. sure. killing a partne to power is very addictive.

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  23. I hate mosquitoes!!! Luckily we don`t have a lot where we live but they always bite me and I get an allergic reaction. I also used to kill a lot of the bugs that we have here but now I realize they also need a place in nature so I let half of them live :)

    Have a great week Susan!

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  24. Oh, I could definitely get addicted to killing mosquitoes! They drive me nuts when they are around. :) I love that you gave it away. No need to be addicted to anything. :)

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  25. Oh, now I see how serial killers are made!!

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  26. To kill or not to kill that is the question :)

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  27. Susan Deborah. Hi!
    I believe--for an addict--ANYTHING and EVERYTHING, can become addictive, e.g., I want more and more, until I am consumed. And, 'I like the way it makes me feel'!

    It never happened with mosquitoes though, for me. (You Do remember Susan, that it is only the females which bite humans and animals. Didn't we 'talk' about that once?

    PEACE to you and yours, girl.
    I LIKE India. No, have not been there--yet!

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  28. Dear Su,

    Hoping you are Ok

    This is just to tell you My Duality Blog is back!

    Hugs!

    Dulce <3

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  29. I might have made this comment here before, not sure. When I was growing up, we battled an infestation of fleas. Every day we would sit to watch tv and search for the fleas. When finally they were exterminated, we still sat there looking for fleas...
    Now as for mosquitos, they follow me. They don't follow anybody else, it seems, as they do me. One of the few things really attracted to me...sigh.

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  30. Oh my, Mrs Sus! Can't imagine you having serial killer instincts! I also do that, but with ants. I'd follow their trail, killing all the workers along the way until I get to the queen. It's always an exhilarating feeling to tap into our inner predator. :)

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  31. I really dont understand that how you can say that Mosquitoes are not harmful, may be the bite is not that painful, but the disease which it spreads is really horrible as I myself have seen so many in the family suffered with dengue and chikungunya.

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  32. I dont understand how Susan have said that Mosquitoes are not harmful? as the bite may be not so painful, but the disease it spreads like malaria, dengue, Chikungunya etc are really a horrifying thing, I myself have witnessed how badly my family members got affected and suffered due to those diseases

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  33. I understand where your heart is susan, my brother is the same way so I totally get it.

    My opinion on this is, If an insect or lizard does not bother me and lives on its own like houseflies, dragonflies, butterflies, I do not have a problem with it but if they bite me or can be a cause of something that might make me sick, then my view changes in a hurry.

    It was a good article on how the power of taking lives can be easily misued and addictive.

    Take care and thanks for passing on the links to your posts.

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