CrankyBuddhist   the learning never ends …

I don’t always have access to cable, but over the summer I had a housesit with OnDemand. And demand I did. I caught up on every cable show worth watching – and a ten episode marathon of the first season of Dexter was the highlight of my summer.

For those of you that don’t know, the short story is that Dexter is a blood splatter analyst for the City of Miami. He is also a serial killer who was raised by a policeman who, having sensed Dexter’s tendancies when he was but a tyke, decided to teach him how to kill without getting caught. One of the ways to do that is to kill only within a set of very rigidly defined rules, the main one being that he can only kill someone who is very bad, like someone who got away with murder.

What is it about this show that can make a CrankyBuddhist understand the mind of a serial killer? Dexter is a twisted fuck, yet ever so lovable. Witty and charming. Maybe it’s because I know he won’t ever come after me that I can look upon his questionable actions only as questionable. I can’t judge him because it’s not my place and he is going through the process of doing that for himself.

Yet the guy *is* a serial killer.

As I watched the series I was horrified to find myself falling for the guy, the show, and the premise. But I couldn’t help laughing at his witty remarks and sarcasms. This absolute horror and delight was being experienced at the same time within me, and I couldn’t tell if I was reacting to the show or reacting to my feelings about it.

So anyway, killing a living being, no matter how awful the being was in the first place, is a no-no in Buddhist tradition, as well as most world cultures. So to answer Dexter’s question in his terms, I’d just have to say he’s a bad person doing bad things. But to answer it in my terms, I’d have to say he is just human.

Thank The Universe it’s just a television show.

The next season of Dexter starts on September 30th and airs on Showtime. You can also view Season One via Netflix.com.

One of the easiest ways to spread happiness is to smile and say *hello!* to a stranger.

I try and do it at least once a day when I’m out on the street. It really takes people by surprise. And it’s very easy to do.