The Shield of Achilles

So Matt posted this excellent song (Bartholomew - The Silent Comedy), but one paragraph explains my ultimate decision to dedicate myself to understanding myself and then others. Essentially it is the reason for being in Psychology now, enough build up, here it is.

I rambled with the worst of them
fell in love with a harlequin
Saw the darkest hearts of men
And I saw myself staring back again and I saw myself staring back again.

When I first went through my troubles and what-not I had always seen myself as an exception to the norm, but as I continued to live and learn about others I realized how typical my experience was (or a more extreme version). I was just another person among a multitude and the more I learned about the "crazy" people the more I saw parts of myself in everyone and vice versa. I am no longer surprised by anyone's actions, ever. Murder, empathy, sacrifice, suicide, all are within every person, it just takes a certain type of circumstances to bring them to light. The more I try and type out my reasoning the less sense it makes. It sounded better in my head.

Anyway, another thing that fits with this theme is an extremely famous and popular quote by Nietzsche that I'll leave off with. Enjoy, or become frightened, your choice.

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you"