Halloween & Hannah’s banality of evil

Drawing another parallel between photography and the general challenge of life. All that quest for the right balance between dark and light. Talking Halloween, all that excitement about symbols of evil and darkness. There is something fascinating about that. My kids have this fling with their imagination of the evil. However, the line between real human evil and a creepy spooky evil does not really exist in their world.

How do you explain to kids that evil does not necessarily come with the images of halloween masks? That what looks proper from the outside, like what they are taught to be the way it should be, can be way more evil than the most scary made-up monster.

That evil can be disguised in Italian silk suits on Wall Street. That evil can show itself in continuous subtle changes to the core principles of democracy and human rights. That evil is hidden behind global industries firing up children’s desire for more and more consumption in a world of finite resources – selling those children’s future.

When you think about the many disguised forms of evil out there, Hannah Arendt’s banality of evil shows itself in new ways.

How do you explain to kids (and to ourselves actually?) the many complex ambivalences and shades of grey between the seductive black & white realities?  How do I explain my 4-year-old son that a police man is not automatically a good person simply because of his job and his uniform? That a thief does not always have to be an embodiment of bad behavior?

In a world, where we are taught good behavior and collective obedience, how do we teach our children the necessity of self-reflection and checking in with their own moral standards? Thinking about it, Greta is actually a great role-model for those kids. And talking Hannah Arendt, history gives us great examples how obeying to rules and regulations has lead to the most cruel crimes in human history.

Aiming at the right balance between light and dark. Don’t we all have a natural longing for harmony, light and the constructive good within? And then every once in a while, we feel an ambivalent sensation of destructive energy. In healthy doses this is part of the natural cycle of destruction and construction, Shiva’s cosmic dance.

All Saints’ Day tomorrow. This is to the stillness of final savasana, a state of light and love, I trust. Daddy’s Lens has always loved the many different places for this final rest. A Slovak village just off the Tatra mountains above. Below, Sarajevo and at the foot of Mount Etna.  

I wish I had a picture of a Mexican cemetery on Dia de los Muertos. Have never been there at this time of year but love the idea of celebrating the deceased family and friends in such a cheerful and loving way. The cemetery in Jerez della Frontera, South of Spain, however made me think of Mexico with its bright light and colors.