Murder Who Is Responsible
In the movie Lord Of War (spoiler alert: if you haven’t see it skip this paragraph) at the end when Nicholas Cage’s characters brother gets killed we ask who is responsible for his death? Someone very close to me said Nicholas Cages character is responsible for his brothers death. Cages character Ori a international gun rummer asked his brother to help him, one last time, broker a deal with a warlord who needed guns and was notorious for naming and killing. His brother was aware of the danger and made the decision to go.
During the deal, the brother opposed to what he felt would happen after the guns were sold, made the decision to blow up the arms with a hand grenade . After the explosion a member of the buyers army shot the brother with a machine gun killing him.
One may argue Cage’s character is responsible for his brothers death, because if he had never asked him to help he wouldn’t have died. (at that time), Although this may be true and Cage’s character certainly influenced his brother and his decision making, is he responsible? Responsible for his brothers death (murder)?
This is a very important question in gaining critical information that society will benefit from. We all play a part in the world with increasingly so has we focus into our personal lives and situations. There is objective right and wrong and to define right poses a challenge with affirmation language. A right is an action that does not cause harm to another intelligent being. A wrong boils down to theft. Murder is a theft of anothers life.
If cages character did not ask his brother to go with him yes he would not have been murdered the way he was in the movie. True.
If the brother did not choose to grab a hand grenade and blow up the arms he would not have been murdered the way he was. True.
If the buyers army guy did not choose to pull the trigger unloaded 30 bullets into the brother he wouldn’t have been murdered the way he was in the movie. True.
If his brother decided not to go help his brother he would not have been murdered the way he was. True.
If the war lord stopped his army man from shooting the brother he would not have been murdered as he was in the movie. True.
We could go on and on literally for ever with statement like these all the way back to the brothers mom and dad. If his dad did not impregnate his mother he would not have been murdered like he was in the movie. True.
To really gain an understanding of this topic we ask the question again. Who is responsible for the death specifically murder of the brother?
Blame vs Responsibility
- To be responsible is to be answerable or accountable. It means that we will be measured.
- To be at fault is to be responsible for a failure or worse, a wrongful act
- Finally, to blame is not just to hold responsible but to find fault with.
Now again we acknowledge we all play a part in responsibility for situations in our lives. One thing to remember we cant control what other do to us but we can choose how we respond and the decisions we make.
Ultimately the buyers army man was the human being the made the ultimate decision to point a deadly weapon and pull the trigger with full intent on murdering the brother in the movie.
However in a real life example similar to the one in the movie self defense could and rightfully so be argued. I know that if someone just blow up a storage shed so to speak of mine and was running toward me and I felt my life was in danger I would have zero hesitation in using as much force including deadly force to to stop the threat.
The mind set that Nicholas character is responsible for his brothers death plays out in today’s society and needs to be examined. For example mass shootings and the second amendment. That fact that a large group of American citizens are openly pushing to take away the guns and means of defense of all Americans for an act that they did not commit is a perfect example.
We have the right to keep and bear arms for several reasons on is self defense. To take away our right to keep and bear arms would violate our rights it would wrong us. And for what reason do these individuals want to do this? Because of a wrong doing committed by some one else.
To state that we all play a part in the situations in life including a mass shooting we may miss a critical element and dilute culpability to the mass. We must assign blame appropriately and accurately. Who is to blame or at fault and responsibly for the wrong doing? The shooter.
Free will and determinism is a complex debate so leave that for later if we have free will to make decisions void of duress or threat and make a decision and take an action that harms another we are in the wrong and to blame. Taking responsibility for what we are responsibly for and working toward remedy is a must.