Monsters Inside Men

This weekend, I saw a production of Doubt, A Parable. I’ve seen this show a few times, but I always walk away with more questions (which, incidentally, it is written to do just that).

For those who are unfamiliar with the play, it is set in mid 1960s. The head nun and principal of a catholic school has suspicions that a priest is molesting the little boys in her school. She sets out to prove his guilt and make her school safer by methodically and tirelessly seeking evidence to discredit him.

So now, the script brings up several themes and points that are meant for discussion. But, for now, I want to discuss monsters.

Remember when you were a child? You were convinced that there were monsters in the darkness, under your bed or in the shadows. No matter how many times your parents told you otherwise, you knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that there were unsavory beings waiting for you in the shade of obscurity.

And now, through adult eyes, you view their innocence as cute or entertaining. But the reality is, there are monsters in the men that walk the streets with us. Go to work with us. Befriend us.

Child molestation, rape and abuse are all things that happen under the surface every day. Sometimes we inadvertently turn a blind eye to it. Sometimes we think it will go away. Sometimes we just refuse to believe that it’s there.

As defenders of humanity, we want to take a stand against these evils. We stand behind/beside our sisters, children mothers and fathers and fight with them.

But the question is this. How will you be the hero? What good will you use to dispel the grasp those monsters have on humanity? How will you slay the dragons of society that breathe the fire of pain and hopelessness?

In the play, the nun employs several methods to reveal the nature of this priest. She does so, all the while sure of her assertions but unable to prove them. She stoops to depths you would not expect; lying and gossiping and breaking the code of conduct set by the church.

There’s a line in the play that says, "When you take a step to address wrongdoing, you are taking a step away from God, but in his service."

It seems noble. But is it right? Much like the phrase “by any means necessary,” what it carries in tenacious determination, it lacks in clarity. Who decides what means are necessary? And where is the line drawn? How far from God is permitted?

When fighting monsters, we have to be very careful not to become a monster.

Which monster is worse? The monster that is? Or the one that chooses to become one?

It is a slippery slope. But no justice is true if unjustly obtained.

#doubtaparable #janelle #monsters