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Evil is the behavioral product of misperception. I have heard the subject of evil thoroughly discussed throughout my life as that of sin, which, while manifesting from the human heart, originates from the depths of Satan's lair. This viewpoint is one of faith, held steadfastly by those of certain religious traditions. I myself hold to a specific faith tradition, but I am also a man of reason. For me, it is difficult to pawn evil off on something that seems to do nothing to explicate the horrors and suffering I witness in life. That is, I cannot simply accept that evil is in the world because of Satan's power on Earth. This, for me, is too simple, and offers no practical method for understanding evil. Using both my faith and reason, I struggle daily in my attempt to understand why it appears that evil is mightier than good. This essay is my response to such contemplations. To begin with, it is imperative that I state that I am a prisoner within the Indiana Department of Correction. Because I am a prisoner, I have a certain restricted lifestyle that most do not wish to have; yet at the same time, many people yearn for my leisurely activities. For instance, prison life — at least the way I have fashioned it — has so far offered me seven years of a monastic way of living, thereby allowing me to have the pleasure of searching the depths of my own soul. This retreat away from the chaos of normal life has allowed me to redirect my priorities, and has given me time to receive a bachelor's degree in philosophy, religious studies, and psychology. This newly acquired foundation of knowledge has not only groomed me for a successful return into society, but has forever reshaped the way in which I perceive the world. Although I have been convicted of a violent crime, I am now a loving, nonviolent person, and I believe that I always have been in my soul. As such, I often ask myself, Why do some people wish to do harm to others? My days as a prisoner here have not always been pleasurable, and I've certainly met and sometimes had uncomfortable discussions with people I consider delusional. In my experience, these individuals usually possess a warped code of morality, believing that it’s okay to harm others and often plotting to do so, whether psychologically, monetarily, or physically. These conversations have often led me to contemplate the topic of violence. Violence is a very complicated subject, with numerous possible variables pointing toward a reasonable etiology or origin. Some of these variables are neurological brain dysfunctions, social stressors, lack of education and/or discipline, and even psychological instabilities caused by drug misuse. While these are a few of the possibilities, I wish to concentrate on a less scientifically based possibility: misperceiving the world because of a lack of soul insight. What I mean is that violence, or what I earlier called evil, is the behavioral product of misperception. That is, a possible reason that people behave unethically and inhumanely toward other people is that they do not have a sufficient awareness of Spirit, or soul insight. Although there are numerous conditions that affect behavior, all people think before they act. That is, human behavior is "screened" through our thinking perceptions. Our actions are therefore reverberations of our will. When we act, we choose to act in a specific way. If some people's actions are screened through a personality that has little compassion, what will the outcomes entail? If others act in accordance with their soul insight, how will their actions differ from those others? People choose either to follow their inner voice of love and goodness, or they believe in an unspiritual madness that deludes them into being proponents of violence, hatred, prejudice, and religious exclusivity. By using the term “soul insight,” I'm not pondering a New Age or a complicated metaphysical theory. I'm simply stating that deep down, underlying the intelligently structured and culturally differing religious doctrines, and also beneath the emotions of anger, hostility, prejudice, and personal conviction, there is a feeling of human conscience. This human conscience is our soul insight, and it speaks to us every day. We should listen to its words of wisdom and, only then, act. Behaving in this accord, our everyday thoughts, temperament, body language, and deeds are grounded in human harmony, empathy, compassion, and love. Through this, we lead others by example, even though at times we can be struck down by evil because of our kindness being mistaken for weakness. An example of people whose actions follow misperceptions are those who are so selfish that they not only exclude all others who do not fit within their respected personal objectives, but devilishly plot to corrupt and harm those "others." Like most Americans, I too was disgusted last September as I watched my fellow citizens kill out of ignorance. Those who choose to act in such a way are, in my opinion, evil. However, even though I wish for the terrorists to come to justice, I'm not convinced that the correct decision for ensuring justice is an act of violence. In my opinion, an act of violent military retaliation is just a way of glamorizing an act of sociopolitical murder, which of course, by either divine or human standards, is evil. These operations have taken place in the past, and were excused as acts of crusading, ethnic/cultural cleansing, and manifest destiny, all of which are types of socio-religious entelechy, purported to be aligned with divine providence. “Entelechy” is a philosophical term that refers to a powerful unseen force or energy that propels and guides all things to their final conclusion. In the context of my statement, this means that any violent military retaliations that aim to destroy life aspire to wipe out, clean up, and remove certain humans from the face of the earth, all in the name of American justice under the guise of a world-dominating JudeoChristian mask. Even though I am proAmerica, I have a difficult time accepting this as the correct action. This is not to say that I do not get emotional sometimes. In the heat of human passion, I sometimes become irate and wish to harm those who value life so little. Socially and politically, it seems that our nation's actions are correct. After all, we have to protect our natural rights, both as humans and as Americans. Still, there is a part of me — perhaps my inner soul — that cries out against these lawful killings. Are we excused as murderers because it may be the social or political thing to do? If we are, then how many can we justifiably kill in order to bring about justice? As a supposedly "religious" nation, are these destructive military actions excused under a type of doctrinal clause that can somehow support the taking of human life? While I hope that this is not true, it seems to be the case, as our nation uses the phrase "God bless America" as a concluding statement for its speeches, as if God has given us a divine directive to kill those who have killed our own. Many of those with whom I have spoken — inside prison and out — agree that we need to seek revenge and protect our rights. They often use the Biblical reference to "an eye for an eye,” so I remind them that as a nation that supposedly professes a degree of spirituality, we should instead "love our enemies." Within the Christian gospels, the teachings of love are represented by the Greek word agape, an unconditional, compassionate love that knows no boundaries. With that said, it seems as if certain Americans are creating their own God who dwells only within their minds so that they can justify unspiritual acts of evil: killing and not loving their enemies. For example, missiles, on average, cost approximately one million dollars each. How many missiles have we detonated — or, rather, how many millions of dollars have our military invested for the taking of human lives? As a nation of law, order, justice, religious diversity, freedom, and peace, I believe that we could spend these millions on more beneficial areas while still seeking to ensure human safety. Are we subject to a deeper cosmic order that speaks to us in the form of a conscience, telling us that this mode of action is unethical and inhumane? Most would claim that we are, and so it appears that both the terrorists’ and America's actions, when viewed through either rationality or a faith tradition, support the growing efforts of hate, despair, suffering, and sin — in a word, evil. If it is evil, our nation's actions, which are the desires of the many, are acts inspired and supported by a misperception away from our soul insight, in other words, ignorance of Spirit, the same ignorance that caused our own nation's loss. Perhaps, as a people, we should stop and reflect upon which actions would sustain a more human goal. Clearly, loving is a much more difficult behavior than hurting. In my opinion, all people are unique, and even if certain individuals bring horror and devastation into the world, goodness always triumphs, because even when the dark clouds of suffering vanish, goodness and genuine human integrity still remain. This integrity transcends all language, cultural, and doctrinal barriers, uniting all through the simplicity of spirit. This life truth leads to the recognition that goodness is immutable and everlasting, whereas evil always cuts its own life short. Evil begets evil, bloodshed fuels more bloodshed, and hate inspires more hate; however, compassion soothes the heart, peace comforts the suffering, empathy connects all cultures and races, and love heals all wounds. If we as Americans, and as humans, choose to do the good, then we cannot support the misperception that killing is good. We must stand firm under the banners of faith and reason, believing that life is to be cherished, and even though some resort to the destruction of life, we cannot submit to their level of perception. We must listen to our inner soul insight, behave in a universal, ethically charged manner, and lead the world's population into believing, accepting, and acting within the boundaries of this human/spiritual morality. James L. Vida is an undergraduate student at Ball State University, working toward his second bachelor’s degree in psychology and religious studies. His areas of interest include ancient Hellenistic philosophy, qabalah, and the Western esoteric tradition. He is currently writing a book entitled The Pillar of Christ. He can be contacted at 955014 C.I.F., P.O. Box 601, Pendleton, IN 46064. |