Experience With Evil

[nohorn]

This ought to unleash some interesting opinions. Much (some) has been written about evil, books and analysis. One by a writer Dalrymple and one by the author who wrote The Road Less Traveled, can't think of his name. They speak of group evil and obvious personal evil. I suppose the definition of evil does vary from culture to culture.

I believe that I am personally very sensitive about evil, I was exposed to it at a very early age. I think much of life boils down to the underlying subtle battle of good vs evil.

One idea of evil is that one should not focus on it or write about excessively or it will become part of you and it then becomes part of you that you cannot control.

Another controversial idea is that we (humans) are all capable of it as humans and animal do not have the concept.

I also believe that bullying is a mild form of evil. It first actions that surface as being a control freak, and then it is a fine line deliniating it from that and evil.

Some people think that evil does not exist as a super nautral force--it is only humans mis-steps or mis-behavior.

Many people do pretending such as the holloween celebration.
Just some thoughts, looking forward to comments and other observations.

Looking forward to ideas and thoughts and narrations of experiences.

[Kassee]

I do think it is true that everyone is capable of evil - I think there has been some physiological experiments conducted to actually prove this point - altho it is hard to actually believe.

I dislike all evil, think I am bit scared of it actually. I dont like evil on the telly, in films or in books. I don't like bullying - and yes it is definately evil. People have committed suicide because of bullying.

I think it is quite likely that if a person was too obsessive about evil, either watching or reading about then it could become part of your being.

I like to keep away from it altogether. Surround myself with lovely happy friendly people, and enjoy my life, enjoy what I read, the music I listen to, the television I watch. And evil can stay a long way away from my life.

[Kassee]

I have had experiences of evil things in my life - but I like to forget them - not dwell on them - and certainly not write about them on here

[wildwood]

Bullying is not a mild form of evil, it is a serious one, usually perpetrated by below average people who are trying to make up for their deficiency by attempting to control others - it is a primitive instinct when early-humans lived pretty much like animals.

Evil is a man-made concept as opposed to Good. A certain amount of Evil is present in everyone, no matter how little.

[daisya]

Man made or not evil is prolific on this planet and overtakes the good...it is certainly winning against good forces unfortunately and I doubt it will ever change.

[nohorn]

To Kassesse et al. Yes I agree I do not want to dwell on them, I will never forget them entirely. Wish I could. We have only today. We don't have yesterday, we don't have tomorrow. On today we think of only good and wonderful people. Look at the Chicadees in the bird feeder. They
dwell in the now and only of what they are doing, seem to be happy even though a predator could hit them when their defenses are down. It seems we all agree!
nohorn

[jake-the-peg]

I don't think evil is a helpful word - it's way too loaded.

Firstly it has religious overtones, ideas of sin and forces outside of humanity.

Even taking out the religious element it has images of irredeemabily - the idea of someone being "evil" that they can have no good side.

People like to use it in vilification attempts of someone - so many people don't like complexity and can't cope unless they have bad guys in black hats and good guys in white hats.

You're seeing this right now with Gadaffi - Yes the man was a ruthless dictator who wold torture and kill anyone who opposed him.

He also spent a lot of money in healthcare in his country and built a canal to bring water in land in Mali

He founded a foundation that worked with poverty, drug abuse and mine clearance

http://en.wikipedia.o..._Charity_Associations

But people don't like complex characters - they want to call them "Good" or "Evil".

In the end it's just a label that expresses nothing more than a mob disapproval

[Kassee]

I disagree - evil has nothing to do with religion. Look at the Moors murderers, Ian Bradey, Fred West, the Yorkshire Ripper. They are EVIL - well they may have been kind to an old lady crossing the road, or they may have been a lovely son to their mother and always remembered her birthday - but I am afraid the bad outweighs the good and they are EVIL.

Same goes for pedophiles - all of them - EVIL EVIL EVIL - no redemption - some acts against other people/animals on this planet are BEYOND REDEMPTION. And if I was religious I would believe in forgiveness.

EVIL EVIL EVIL - bring back hanging I say. (but thats another topic).

[jake-the-peg]

See what I mean ? ^^^

[Kassee]

You sound as tho you have never experienced it - Jake. Have you always had a fairly happy life. How would you feel if it were your child ? Quite differently I am sure.

[jake-the-peg]

You know what? this piece of dumb thinking always c up - the reactionary voice smugly saying "You'd feel differently if it happened to you"

You know what happened this weekend? My son got beaten up - thumped by some drunken idiot for no better reason than something to do I guess.

Well let's see if I feel differenly?

Hmm - no twitching pitchfork in my hand - no blazing urge to turn vigillante - still opposed to the death penalty.

No use of words like Evil

Can't understand it

My only conclusion is that it must be down to thinking for myself and not being stupid enough to let tabloid editors do my thinking for me

[Ankou]

jake, sounds like you took stock of it all and then asked yourself:

what would jesus do




:o]

[jake-the-peg]

:c)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKmh-0E5BjU

[Old_Geezer]

Good and evil are human generated concepts. Nothing to do with supernatural anything. I don't believe avoiding consideration of them as a subject, is wise. Head in sand attitudes rarely are. Halloween is just an excuse for frivolity.

[NOX]

I agree with Jake- Evil is a big loaded sweeping generalisation- it's also not part of a scoreboard system where ' evil can outweigh good.' Each individual action is a seperate thing- a dictator is capable of personal kindness just as a priest is capable of huge wickedness- but it's very hard to weigh and measure people unless you are some sort of al seeing all knowing omnipotent being- and to imply people would ' fell differently' if they had been victims of evil is just really patronising.

[Kassee]

Yep - "turn the other cheek" - ooops - does that come from the Bible ?

[nohorn]

Thanks again for all replying. It gave me much to digest.
nohorn

[Answerprancer]

I totally agree with JTP.
What is the difference between "evil" and "extremely bad" to you Nohorn ?
I only use the term in parody eg. an "evil" smell, that Chinese takeaway was "evil", he let one rip and the smell was "evil" etc.
You use the term as if it's accepted by default - are you a raving christian ?

[naomi24]

Unless you believe that evil emanates from an unseen supernatural force, I fail to see why this question is posted in R&S. Personally I don't believe that anything is 'supernatural'.

[ludwig]

// Even taking out the religious element it has images of irredeemability - the idea of someone being "evil" that they can have no good side. //

I think everyone can have a good side, but in some people it's so massively outweighed by acts of immorality that you can pretty much ignore it.
Adolf Hitler loved animals and got the trains running on time (or was that Mussolini?). He probably founded a few charities as well - helping young Aryans find lebensraum or something. But let's not kid ourselves he was anything but irredeemibly evil.

I don't particularly like the word evil either, because of the religious connotations, but it does have various dictionary definitions that mean extremely bad and immoral, so it's perfectly reasonable to apply it to some peoples behaviour.

The distinct and confusing definitions which mean things associated with a supernatural being called the devil I don't use at all in that sense because I don't believe such an entity exists.

[Davethedog]

Define evil? Take Ian Brady evil or mad? We tend to say because of the acts committed that he is evil but psychologically he is mad.

Hitler evil without a doubt, but what of those [eople who subscribed to what he did, all evil?

There is no doubt there are things we don't understand about the human psych, in how and why we act in certain ways and in which circumstance.

In my, uneducated, opininon we delude ourselves that we are "civilised" when in fact we are but a few steps from the hairy fella at the beginning of 2001. I for one have never thought we are to far from the Lord of the flies.