Nothing specific inspiring this one, just a general notion that eats at me from time to time and I suppose I felt I needed to sketch up. Then again, maybe it's just the preacher in me rearing her head again. *smirks*

People often like to throw out some variation of the old adage "In fighting a monster one must be careful that one does not become a monster". Generally this is because they have nothing to add to a conversation on a adversarial topic and it makes them sound deep or interesting to a naive passerby. That or they're the kind of person who takes everything to a presumptive extreme and feels that such hyperbole needs to be addressed any time said topic is discussed. *pops her neck* In brief, this mentality is irritating to me.

However, like many things overused to the point of nearly being meaningless, there is still some truth to it and it's a good point to recall, particularly so for those seeking to emulate Lucifer's example. In today's society, religious fundamentalists of all stripes are more and more brazenly pushing for or committing barbaric horrors with no justification beyond their own superstition. An atheist student is expelled from a public school for refusing to recite bible passages, a man is found having disowned, beaten or murdered his daughter for losing her virginity, a church pastor or christian politician publicly calls for the eradication of "the gays", every day, a new abomination is discovered.

We want to lash out at these people. We want our idea of justice to be done. We want to strike back at them with every bit of the hatred that they have imbued in us, grind them into offal with nothing but our fists until we feel that the balance has been restored and we can be human again.

Maybe they deserve it. *shrugs* Maybe. But we are not them. We are not them -and we must never become so.


By popular fiction, Lucifer herself did not strike down the tyrant she refused, nor his servants nor his slaves. She turned her back on the entire lot and went off to her own existence, encouraging others to follow suit. *smiles* If only we would all strive to such an ideal. What interesting creatures that would make us, eh? *chuckles* This is the world, lovely watcher. There is no other. Make it count. One World and One Love. Ave Lucifer.