Death Note: what an amazing series.
It faced me so much questions about morality and justice that I had to rethink my position on this. A kid by the name of Yagami Light is given a notebook by a shinigami (Death God) and in this notebook when a name is written in it, that person will die (if the writer knows the face as of the victim as well). However, there are many more complex rules surrounding the Death Note, the fact remains: you can kill without being directly involved. Yagami Light then decides he will use this Death Note to reap justice on society and become the God of a New World with peace that reigns throughout. He watches the news and picks of the criminals.
A genius unknown detective is then sent in to find Kira (the name given to unknown justice reaper). A cat and mouse game ensues. Now the first question that was brought to my attention is, what is true justice? Can one man go about killing criminals? Can he be the almighty judgement passer? Is this justice?
It was such a morally grey area that I soaked in this wonderful dilemma with each episode. Just like the series Dexter, where a serial killer kills other serial killers. However, what made Death Note different is that it was on much more global scale. This created a fear among people that if they did a crime, they might be killed by Kira. It became a cult so to speak. Now that's where I start to have an objection. When people start being controlled by fear, that's where things start going awry. Just like Christianity were everyone is passed on by divine judgement. Heaven or Hell? I'll take a room with a view please!
In a way to expect a person to pass judgement on other with his subjective morality is actually absurd, yet in Death Note I did not find it that strange. Criminals are bad! They deserve judgement and if that stops more crimes, why not? You see my mind goes into a paradox when thinking about this. Killing for justice! There's the paradox right there. It's like that idiotic rhetorical question, "Can everyone hear me?" and yet people answer "No!".
Do you kill those who kill for justice?
In an ideal world, "No!", but humans being morally ambiguous, subjective and unstable, "Yes!".
Kill me.
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I myself have pondered morality and justice for some now. And without going into too much of a discussion have concluded that morality doesn't really exist. Only cause and effect. Therefore if you kill and abuse expect the same treatment back. Thats how the universe operates. Action will always have a reaction. Positive will always have negative. We live in a polarised universe so why can't that be applied to justice? This is at least one thing that satanists got right. Do this unto me and ye shall suffer the same.
The only problem living in a world where justice is in the public's hands is that unfortunately the majority of the Homo Sapien race cannot control itself, so for the time being the justice system serves its purpose, like religion, however absurd it might be.
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