It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No It's Raskolnikov!

Wow, it just doesn't have the same ring to it!  Anyway, what I want to talk about this month is Crime and Punishment.  Yes, I probably realize that there will be several other blogs about the same exact thing this month, but I want to get my feelings about the excerpt that we read off of my chest.

First and foremost, yes, I thought the excerpt from the book was a very good read, and I may attempt to read the entire book someday.  However, the concept of the superman really has me conflicted.  There are two key concepts of the superman that extremely scare me.

1.     The superman has the right to break laws.

2.     The superman may destroy what exist to make something better.

As previously stated, my initial reaction after reading Raskolnikov say, “an extraordinary man has the right … to overstep …  certain obstacles … for the fulfillment of his idea,” was one of terror.  How could anyone be allowed to break the laws?  Furthermore, how do we decide who is extraordinary?  Everyone is extraordinary in his or her own mind.  There would be total chaos and anarchy because everyone has their own ideas about how the world should be.

As much as I want to say that this idea of the superman is wrong, I had remembered something similar in the Declaration of Independence.  The Declaration of Independence clearly states,

 “That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

In a way, this somewhat confirms idea of the superman.  So, what does this have to do with today?  All over the news everyday we are overloaded with news about the latest conflict between the Republican and Democratic parties.  As we begin to approach an election year, it will only get worse.  One of the biggest arguments in the country right now is the debate over small government and big government.  People on both sides of the argument seem to feel that the U.S. government has become destructive of our unalienable right to some degree.  So, should We The People allow the extraordinary people that we have elected to represent us destroy something to create something better?  No!  We must stand together as a nation and work out our differences together for a brighter future.