Destruction and Renewal

The guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) displays a brilliant spectacle of holiday lights. The ship won first place during the Pearl Harbor Naval Bases holiday lights decorating contest and has placed first for several years.

I’ve always abhorred both the notion and reality of destroyer ships, missiles, weapons of mass destruction and other human constructs that are designed to destroy. I know many people who admire the innovation, engineering and architecture of these weapons, but I’ve never been able to get past what they’re designed to do. When I first saw the above picture of the USS Russell, the juxtaposition of a guided-missile destroyer decked out in jaunty holiday lights frankly made me cringe.

But I’ve been thinking lately that destruction isn’t always cringe-worthy; rather it’s an integral part of life, whether natural, personal, relational, or societal.

Religious and philosophical traditions around the globe have story after story about destruction and rebirth. There are the ubiquitous ancient flood motifs such as  Gilgamesh, Noah’s Ark, Deucalion and others. There are the familiar and not-so-familiar dying-and-rising deity motifs. There’s the Hindu god, Shiva, whose role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create. There’s the phoenix, an immortal bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. (The phoenix was Dumbledore’s pet in Harry Potter.)

The stories mimic the perpetual destruction and renewal we see again and again in nature: Leaves die in the winter and renew in the spring. Lightening destroys a forest; the forest grows back and becomes more lush. A cyclone ends, the sun returns. 

The stories also point to the psychosocial tendencies for destruction and renewal within humans: We eliminate bad habits and acquire good ones. We discard unhealthy relationships and discover new friendships. We dismantle discriminatory societal norms and create more equitable justice.

It is said in stories about Shiva that the god’s powers of destruction and recreation are used even now to destroy the illusions and imperfections of this world, paving the way for beneficial change and new growth. Yet how do we know when destroying something will lead to beneficial change and new growth?

We don’t. Well, maybe we do sometimes, but definitely not always.

When I don’t know the answer to a deep question (including, say, the meaning of life), I often come back to the same answer: love. Is love at the root of why and what you’re seeking to destroy? Is the destruction of those bad habits, unhealthy relationships and societal norms rooted in love or fear? How about the targets of the USS Russell? Love or fear? If rooted in love, I say, destroy away! If in fear, I say stay at port and shine your jaunty lights.