Putting Things Into Perspective

Posted by E

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

He squats in the weeds, face bloodied for reasons unknown and radiating the stress and deference to authority that inform us, the viewer, that he has been caught in the act of some transgression, though what it was we do not know. Though the few words you can hear are foreign and muffled, the intent of his captor is clear.

Upon a moment's observation it becomes plain that he has been in this situation before; his left hand missing completely, the arm ending in a fleshy nub. Whatever circumstances caused the loss of the left hand have been repeated and now he is being entreated to place his right hand upon the rock before him, in full knowledge that within moments it too will become a stump.

Though we lack full knowledge of the situation, it is obvious that it is both dire and grim. The man lacks a single scrap of clothing, covered instead with a veil of fear. It is obvious that he does not wish to put his hand on the rock, but judging by the blood on his head and the large machete wielded by his captor, to refuse will surely result in a punishment worse than the loss of a hand.

One can't help but wonder what will befall this man once justice has been meted. The simplest things we take for granted; writing, counting change, using doorknobs; these things and multitudes of others will soon become difficult, if not impossible tasks. This handicap will only be further exacerbated by the social shunning that is to ensue. One can imagine that if the loss of a hand signifies the mark of a thief, brigand, or any other stigma, that the loss of both will permanently brand him an outcast.

Yet the basic survival instinct supercedes all rational thought and the man agrees to the punishment due. He places his hand across the rock and waits for the searing pain that is mere seconds away.

In the space of an instant it is over. The blade comes down and cuts through sinew and bone as if they were not even present. The hand falls forward and we are left with a visual of our victim soundlessly running away, the only accompanying soundtrack being the harsh clang of metal on stone.

You may wonder, and rightly so, why I keep posting about and offering links to videos showing the most desperate moments and situations resulting in trauma or death. I assure you that by providing it here on Bonez I am not attempting to appeal to your basest and most prurient desires.

I post this kind of material to help you step back from your reality for just a moment. We tend to get caught up in our day to day stresses, concerned only with what is happening in our own little sphere of reality; and sometimes we delude ourselves into believing that the worst of the world has befallen us.

Videos like this help to center yourself; to realize that no matter how bad things may be for you at the moment, for someone else it is far worse. Maybe you've lost your job, fallen out with a loved one or been rejected, it doesn't matter. The point is that our problems, no matter how massive they may seem at any moment are much more fleeting than the issues of others.

Sometimes material like this is not so much a celebration of the gruesome as it is a means to putting your own problems into perspective.

As always, I will not put the link to the video here on Bonez. If you wish to see the video, it is available at my personal blog. For those on the fence about watching, know that you will not see any blood (aside from the small amount on his head), nor will you hear any screams. The gravity of the situation is what it will show, not the gratuitous details.