[speakingtohe]

I did not imply that if it felt right to do it, just that you would probably not feel an urge to justify.

IMO (based only on reading so it is only an opinion) sociopaths/pschopaths do not generally justify unless they are caught and often not then. They just go about their business, committing attrocities which they generally see no wrong or right in doing. Total lack of empathy and seeing people/animals etc. as other than objects one reads)

Some committers of attrocities do write letters to newspapers etc. Son of Sam? not necessarily justifying and in some cases bragging, but in many cases it can been seen as a plea for help, "Stop me before I kill again" kind of thing.

Perhaps if there had been a corresponding forum, Charles Manson and others such as Jeffrey Dahmer, Karla Homulka would have been posting justifying their actions and encouraging others to follow in their footsteps. I doubt it, as (again according to what I have read), don't care what others think and generally have a pretty good sense of self-preservation.

Myself, I stole a toy at 4 years old, never addmitted it, never gave it back, and still feel residual guilt. Even at four I couldn't justify it despite the fact it was the only way I could get it. I could not play with it even in total privacy. I have done other things since that I thought were right when I did them, but knew they weren't after the fact. In some cases I admitted them and some not. But I never justified them. That is adding insult to injury.

I agree that many atrocities are committed by people who believe they are right, the children's crusade, witch burning, wartime atrocities such as the Albanian and the Rwanda genocides, ignored by most of the world, and I know card carrying Nazi's who justify the atrocities committed by the Nazi's to this day, as well as similiar attrocites going on in the present.

I do respect your right to feel that the majority of people, intelligent or otherwise, who do cause harm to others in a big or small way, feel deep down that they are right. I merely disagree. I find it impossible that, with the exception of pschyopaths and fanatics, that they truly believe they are right.

Just saying

Helen