The Devil's Mark Dilemma (And Philosocom's Subcategory Directory On Dilemmas and Problems)
Updated: Sep 21
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In a cinematic piece, The New World Order: The End Has Come (2013), humanity is confronted with a stark, existential dilemma.... A choice between a satanic faith order, lead by a global ruler representing the devil (Lord Aldo De Luca, possessed by the devil himself), and all of freedom. The premise is humorously simple: surrender one's deeply-held religious beliefs and freedoms for survival, or perish in the name of Satan.
This cinematic exploration of religious conflict mirrors historical events. During the Jewish diaspora, some converted to Christianity to escape persecution, like some people converted to the New World Order in the movie, by possessing the Devil's Mark on their forehead.
Was it a betrayal of tradition for the sake of security, a compromise in the face of adversity? Or was it a pragmatic survival strategy? Socrates might have happily refuse surrendering his forehead to an organization he would've deemed corrupt beyond measure, and a product of a democratic world. Thomas Hobbes, on the other hand, would've justified conversion due to the concept of the social contract.
The Nazi regime, however, demonstrated a spine-chilling disregard for such distinctions. Ironically the NWO organization was better than the Nazis, for the NWO were inclusive about all kinds of people joining their ranks. Furthermore, they would offer mercy, in the movie, to people instead of killing them. In the eyes of simple-minded folk, the choice was not less about between faith and immoral servitude, but between life and death.
In The New World Order, the antagonist, a Satanic force, offers a similar ultimatum. Those who resist the "New World Order" are marked for destruction. The film's tragic conclusion, where one heroine decides to mark herself, but her friend chooses to be executed, is a grim reminder: even in the face of overwhelming evil, some choose martyrdom over compromise. And that's how heroic conduct can be just as awful as evil itself for people.
I, personally, would not make such a choice as becoming a martyr. While I value individualism, I would not allow any ideology I may believe in, to compromise my life. Compromises in the name of life are preferable to the certainty of death. I would have the mark not only to live but also to learn the world of religion. Nothing more goal-wise.
While I admire the courage of martyrs, I cannot support her choice. Death is not a noble pursuit; it is a destroyer of human potential.
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