Monday, January 20, 2025

Preys and Predators Part 1 Chapter 15

 

15           The discussion of Ego

 

“The ego is the part of the personality that arbitrates between the animalistic desires of the “id” and the moral and social standards of the ‘superego’.” The Professor extended his stay at the city and was attending a dinner with some of the notable members of the city. It was a small gathering considering that thirteen seats were set there.

“Thirteen” The Professor had remarked. “Thirteen seems to be the preferred number around the round table here. Where I come from, thirteen is the least welcomed number.”

The gathered there all laughed at that.

“Numbers to be, or rather superstitious attachment to it by my understanding are fallacy, or should I bring it closer to my theory, an egoistic perception.” The Professor smiled. “Judas the thirteenth one seated at the table with Jesus though he collected more than that number of silver coins……”

“Never got to spent it all.” One of the attendees spoke out.

“Yes, he did not. Thank you for reminding me, Doctor Watson.” The Professor smiled. “The Templar Knights were condemned on the thirteenth, and …….”

“King Arthur held thirteen seats at the round table.” Mycroft Holmes commented. He was the host of the gathering and with Holmes decision not able to attend, Doctor Watson was the next on the dance steps.

“Yes, your fabled King have thirteen seats, and with him occupying the one seat, he had twelve knights, although it was told that there were several hundreds of the knights in his castle. I will say rather cramped in accommodation but we never knew the real Camelot existence and its size.”

“And the number of times, they had to greet the other knights …… Sir ……. Ah, Sir…… and Sir. It must be tiring.” Mycroft laughed but his joke was flat to the other attendees who were also knighted by the Queen. They felt their ego was trampled upon.

“The knights are his protector of the land but one was to ……. I would not use the term, betrayed but challenged him over a lady.”

“Sir Lancelot …… well to me, lived up to his motto of chivalry.” Mycroft defended the ‘errant’ knight. “He defended the lady there.”

“Was it? Or perhaps his ego stepped in, that saving it was needed.” Professor challenged back. He then backed down. “Pardon the rudeness on the issue. I am your guest and should not have said that.”

“Professor, if you may, please explain to us your views on the murders at the city. You may have heard of it.” Doctor Watson moved the subject rather abrupt. Mycroft glared at the Doctor for his silliness to raise such an issue then. The unofficial message was to stop it from becoming a scandal.

“The murders? Yes, there was one two days ago, and it caused an evacuation in the hall where I was lecturing.” The Professor smiled. “They all ran out of my lecture. The last time that happened that ever happened in my country was when there was an uprising of the people against the Netherlands then in 1830, and we got our first steps towards independence.”

“1839 I believe was the year.” Mycroft tried to impress the gathered. The Professor nodded.

“As was asked on my view to the murders which is by nature a crime. And criminality will be subject matter here.” The Professor leaned forth on the table, with his focus on Doctor Watson. His right hand was holding the glass of red wine. “Typically, in my view ……. mankind needs to develop their psyche from id-centred to develop a dominant ego. Failure to do so would lead to criminality. The limbic …… that’s part of the brain system is reflective of the psyche; the pre-frontal cortex controls rational decision-making, like the ego.” (https://resource.download.wjec.co.uk/vtc/2021-22/el21-22_14-3a/eng/individualistic-theories-of-criminality.pdf)

“Most fashionable!” One of the gathered quipped out.

“In my line of research, I have interviewed some people who had committed crimes of various degrees. I find the method of …… or rather encourages the patient to talk through their thoughts, with the aim to reveal repressed thoughts and trauma. This can raise ethical implications due to the power that the psychoanalyst has over the pattern of crime acts.” The Professor leaned back. He then focuses on the wine.

“The red wine here is different from the vineyards of my land.” The Professor held up the glass to the light. “It held the texture and looks may seems alike, but the taste of it when it reaches my taste buds are different. Claret, as you may called it here, but we named it the red wine back there, are blended by different wineries on their recipe for it. It will be a blend of the fruits, grapes and …… I am not an expert here, but the base of it is still the same grouping of ingredients with some variations.”

“My exact thoughts are why do the wine taste differently?”

“Well, it is the recipe maker who defines it. The approach, the technique, the …... ego behind it. All men are born equal but some will make their own path, and fewer will stay on to achieve it, and the ones that did are the rare ones who do achieve it, will praise themselves for their determination ……. Fuel by their ego.”

“Bravo!” Mycroft overlooked his optimism there. He had likened Sherlock to be one, and held his praise for his brother.

“Thank you, but the path to …… greatness can be diverse, with some leading to better things and others to …... bad things. A genius who commands criminal acts is one. That is the work of the superego or …. A failure of the ego, as I mentioned earlier …. That is part of the brain system is reflective of the psyche; the pre-frontal cortex controls rational decision-making, like the ego.”

“I am still learning, my fellow gentlemen.” The Professor smiled. “The working of the mind is vast than what we do know now.”

“Would you be keen to study the murders then, Professor?” The invite came from the Mayor of the City.

 

 

 

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