Are we, human beings, products of the society we live in? Or is it the opposite that holds true? Let us take a step back and look at this as objectively as possible.

Lately, we have been hearing more and more criminal cases being acquitted because of the presence of psychological disturbances in the equation. “Let us give Tom another chance! He’s not really an arsonist by choice! It’s just that he had such a troublesome childhood, that he turned to burning things and critters to cope with his personal pain.” Yes, this is indeed something that is far from extraordinary these days. For most times, this angle is presented in criminal courts all over America, and even the whole world.

I, for one, do not believe this. Sure, there may be a ring of truth to this, to some extent. But we are thinking beings, right? I mean, this is what distinguishes us from the rest of the animal kingdom. And this is primarily why we hold our very own selves on such pedestals. We also have the ability to choose. Now, I do not discount the fact that our past can influence our present selves because this is indeed true. Our past influences who we are right now. Still, just because a person had a difficult childhood does not necessarily mean that he would have no choice but to act upon these negative events in his past. There is still that element of choice, that moment where he could have set his foot down and said, “NO.”

Let us take the classical example of Adolf Hitler, for instance. Hitler saw it in himself to eradicate the whole race of Jews, simply because he hated them. There have been so many theories on why Hitler hated the Jews, but I will not tackle them for it is not that relevant in this discussion. What’s relevant is that Hitler persecuted the Jews because he was mentally disturbed. Medical evidence supports that Hitler was diagnosed with syphilis, which entered its tertiary stage and started affecting him, by means of paranoia and delusions. Hitler soon perceived the Jews as enemies who were out to get him. Because of his charismatic nature, he was able to convince his army to kill off the Jews, resulting in the deaths of 6 million innocent people!

But what really happened here? Psychological queries on Hitler’s past show that he had a rough childhood, and that, ironically, he has Jewish blood as well. In fact, his mother was Jewish as well! But he had bizarre experiences with the Jews, which most likely led to the animosity he felt towards them. For starters, his mother’s doctor was Jewish, and he failed to cure her of her breast cancer. This might have had a negative impact on Hitler. Even so, this does not warrant the killing spree he initiated when he was of age already. And his charisma does not warrant his army’s support for his brutal and senseless campaign against the Jews. His army accepted his beliefs without question, no matter how warped they were. What does this say of the human’s ability to make educated decisions then?

The Jews were the ones who suffered the most from this atrocious part of world history. They became the sacrificial lambs of society at the time. So, was Hitler indeed a product of the society he lived in? Was his hatred for the Jewish people founded from whatever circumstances that were happening during his time? Or was the Holocaust a product of the man, Hitler himself, and his warped thoughts on world domination and forging his dominant race? Whatever view you might have, I say that it is still man who has the final say. Sure, there are events that would inevitably influence how we make our decisions. But the beliefs of others should not be the basis of our own decisions. Just look at Hitler and the Holocaust. That would be reason enough to stand your ground whenever it counts.