"As long as possible, everyone will become a tyrant, which is the nature given to people. "Defoe said so. The good and evil of human nature is like a thick book, which is complicated and unpredictable, and you can even try to figure it out all your life. As early as ancient times, there was philosophical thinking about human nature.
In China, the essence of human nature has been discussed for a long time, and the theory of good nature and the theory of evil nature, which have been controversial in the philosophical circle, are the theoretical products of this discussion. However, no matter whether it is good in nature or inherent vice, I think we can't be partial to one side, because human nature itself is complex and full of confusing colors.
However, when it comes to the most incisive expression of good and evil in human nature, it should be a relatively rare and extreme event, or when people have greater freedom, people's behavior can often reflect truth and hypocrisy, kindness and cruelty, beauty and ugliness. Under people's different choices, it is like being suddenly exposed by the sun, making its truest side completely exposed.
As one of the most controversial art forms in modern times, performance art attaches great importance to the interaction and communication with the audience through some unusual behaviors of the artist and even his own body. The audience's different behavioral reactions are often the truest portrayal of human nature.
marina abramovic, the "mother of performance art", aroused people's deep thinking about the good and evil of human nature with a performance of "suicide art" that made people talk about it.
1. Self-anesthesia-"entrusting" life to the audience
Before this performance, Marina's performance art had enjoyed a high reputation for its wild, bold and even paranoid style. This performance may be more dangerous than other performances, and its theme and significance will become more profound accordingly.
This is a performance art performance called Rhythm held in Naples, Italy in 1974.
In this performance, Marina has prepared 72 items in advance, ranging from roses, fruits and cakes to whips, hammers and scissors, and the audience can freely choose and use them.
The audience was told that Marina would give herself general anesthesia, so that her body could not move and her consciousness remained awake. During the period when the anesthetic took effect, her body would be left to the audience to decide, and at the same time, she signed a document, which would completely exempt all participants from legal responsibility.
From this performance, we can see that this is indeed a very dangerous and even an "adventure" behavior. You never know what crazy things others will do to you when you leave your destiny completely in their hands.
Second, from mild to extreme-the radical process of participants' behavior
Before the anesthetic took effect, the audience in the room just fiddled with the contents curiously, and their initial behavior was mild. They just put flowers on her and fed her cakes. At this time, they were still cautious and suspicious, because this experience was unprecedented to them-others entrusted their bodies to themselves completely.
With the gradual effect of anesthetic, Marina's body became stiff and could not move. The audience touched her skin carefully, but there was no response. So at this time, their behavior began to be presumptuous.
First, the first person picked up a paintbrush and scribbled on her body. After seeing this, others swarmed. Another person picked up scissors to cut her clothes, making her face the audience naked. Some people continued to pick up a pot of cold water and throw it at her. Some people were dumbfounded, while others were be in heaven.
The staff on the side were also very worried about this, and wanted to stop it and prevent the situation from escalating again. However, according to Marina's request, they just stood aside and watched helplessly as Marina was teased by the crazy and intoxicated audience.
The following behavior was even more shocking. Someone picked up a knife and cut a series of wounds on her body, while another person plunged a rose thorn into her abdomen. Incredibly, there were bursts of cheerful laughter in the room, just like children playing games, but it was an extremely cruel game.
The audience's behavior continues to deviate from the moral bottom line. People touch and kiss her greedily, and some even lick the drops of blood left on her wound. At this time, Marina is really scarred, but her consciousness is sober.
What's more, with the fading of anesthetic and the gradual recovery of body consciousness, her pain and fear are also multiplying, which makes her eyes full of tears.
When the whole performance was announced to be over, she walked slowly to the audience with tears in her eyes and scanned everyone. However, almost everyone hung their heads, and no one dared to look her in the eyes. The most "extreme" audience quietly hid behind the crowd and left the house silently when people were not paying attention.
People greedily enjoy the "pleasure of sin" when they can be unscrupulous and base their happiness on the suffering of others. However, when faced with moral and legal condemnation, few of them can look directly at their "crimes", but they always want to get away with it.
III. Conclusion
"There are two things in the world that you can't look directly at, one is the sun, and the other is human nature. "Keigo Higashino said. The light of the sun is dazzling enough to hurt your eyes, making it difficult to look straight; And human nature is sometimes like an abyss. When you stare at the abyss, the abyss also stares at you, because the cruelty of human nature sometimes really makes people shudder, and everyone can become a tyrant.
people are like drivers in a carriage, while humanity and soul are the guides of the carriage. If the "guide" can be rational enough, then the driver can drive smoothly; Of course, this guide can also throw away any reason, let drivers follow the horse's lead, bump into it at will, cause chaos and turmoil, and even hurt others.
We are no longer a natural person, but a social person. At this time, in human behavior, justice has replaced instinct, and at the same time, it has been endowed with unprecedented morality. When a person wants to act in society, if he doesn't want to be condemned by morality and law because of some excessive behavior, or face social death because of being attacked by other members of society, he must consult his own rationality.
Therefore, human nature has both a bright side and a dark side. Fortunately, this wild horse is bound by moral and legal reins.