The Joy of Destruction
Things have gotten a bit too morose around here.
You know what's fun?
Breaking things!
For reasons unknown, there is something about destruction that brings joy. Bursting balloons, breaking glass — there is a unique kind of glee and satisfaction to these activities. Who hasn't enjoyed popping all of the bubbles on bubble wrap? It could even be called therapeutic.
If a child enjoys building a sandcastle, they have just as much fun — if not more — knocking it down, or watching the sea wash it away. And if some little lump or twig stubbornly refuses to disintegrate in the waves, something compels us to stomp it down, to ensure the destruction is complete.
Who doesn't want to be Godzilla for a day? Food fights, chopping down a cherry tree, seeing a building demolished, cracking pistachios, shattering dishes, crunching potato chips, watching explosions — they're all oddly engrossing. It's just plain fun.
This also means that for every one person who wants to build a cathedral or their perfect empire, there are a hundred wild Visigoths pounding at the gates who will take glee in knocking it down. You're probably one of them!
We are taught not to break things and to create rather than destroy. These concepts are presented as if there were a direct progression from chaos, destruction, and childishness to orderliness, respectfulness, and adulthood. They are presented as though one is bad and the other is good, and we are told to strive always towards goodness. But if we abandon that side of ourselves, we lose something important.
Don't be afraid to break things.
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