I needn't look far to find good examples of evil in this world.
First of all, there is Microsoft.
Just kidding.
But let me explain. I'm not talking about the kind of evil that rises up in a cloud of black smoke, fans out over humanity and leaves death and suffering in its wake. I'm talking about the lying, conniving kind of evil that takes years to weave it's way into a society, decades to turn their hearts from flesh into stone. I am talking about a mole, a tick that gets in under the surface. It hides from the light, all the while whispering to the unsuspecting about what is good, what is decent, what is love.
It's the kind of thing that we rarely see in movies - it's just not big and scary enough to make a great scene, but there was a moment in the Lord the Rings series where Theoden was under the spell of Saruman through Grima Wormtongue.
This kind of magic - this patient corruption of human souls - is all around us. It takes over people's wills, and turns the course of their lives from useful and productive to much much worse.
Yes, it's happening to you.
Yes, it's happened to me.
I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I feel I must warn you, for two very important reasons.
- the good works of many upright people are being destroyed by it, and
- it can be stopped.
But as I said, it can be fought. It hates the light. Its lies are a house of cards that cannot withstand rational inquiry and examination. It will try to confuse and paralyze and distract you but it has no real power over you.
It is as impotent as it is devious.
What does it want?
Simple. It is hate. It wants the destruction of what is good, the plunder of what is not under its spell, the weakening of what is good and strong. It knows it is doomed. It knows its days are numbered. That knowledge only makes it angry and makes its evil swell and lash out. Why destroy a man when you can lull a nation into evil? If you can't turn men to evil, why not start by turning them away from good.
How does this work?
A little girl gets a new bike. The old bike is still working, and the parents suggest selling it, or placing it in storage. The child decides to donate it to charity, so it's loaded in the car and driven to Goodwill. But this insidious evil has been there before she was even born. In the 50's and 60's volunteers would come to Goodwill and donate time to fix things for free. But between greed and "insurance liability", there have been no volunteers for decades. So there is no one left at the shop to give the bikes a coat of paint and a quick mechanical tune up. The grouchy old lady has seen too many people leave irreparable couches, bikes, and such that she meets the 7 year old girl with "You can't leave that here! We only take new bikes. You people can't just dump all your old crap here. No one wants it!"
How many times have you heard of some good Samaritan who aided someone who was hurt, or robbed, or in danger, only to be sued for their troubles?
How many times have you seen video of people standing around watching while people drown in a sinking car, or burn in a fire? This indifference didn't come on suddenly, it's contrary to the human spirit, which must be trained out of people. You must train them that you should never resist evil. If you're being robbed, just submit. The robbers might not shoot you. In fact, you should not keep a gun in your house for protection, because "90% of all gun deaths are by a friend or family member, because there was a gun in the house".
What can be done?
The problem with it all is this. The house of cards that leads us to the concept that it's kind to be unkind and it's generous to be selfish, and it's human to be inhuman does not stand in the light of clear thinking. Wrong is not right. This creates a tension in your mind - a discordance between your beliefs and your observed reality. It's like if you went in a room and convinced yourself that the sky is green, and then went outside. It's harder and harder to maintain the illusion every minute.
This societal ill is not a battle that you have to fight against other people. It's a battle that you must fight in your own life.
What do you think of when you see the letters FDNY? The firefighters who ran into the World Trade Center, when every bit of our human instinct tells us to flee? These brave, honorable superheroes valued others more than themselves, and they didn't wait for someone else to do what needed to be done. That sense of pride and loss that some of you feel over them - that's the vestiges of good and truth and correct reason left in your head. That's what you can use to fight off this insidious evil. You need nothing more. There's no need to beat others up or argue with them until they see the light of your revelation. All you have to do is be the light by living in harmony with the reality of your true human nature.
How?
Just live as a human lives. Be a hero. Love humanity. Laugh when some thief tries to involve you in his stealing. Walk away when some hater tries to involve you in destruction. Jump in and help when there are tough problems and people need you. I can't promise that people will love and respect you - the evil liar will whisper against you - but I can promise you this... You'll recover your lost humanity. You'll find the soul that has been carefully encrusted in lies, restrictions, and fettered with confusion. You will remember how to live!
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