The Nature of Evil

As part of a much longer conversation with Og the Neanderpundit, his first short story, Slayer, published Saturday, prompted a short side discussion between us about the nature of evil. I had my own notions of what constitutes evil before reading the story (that I read quickly while conversing with him) and so I didn't immediately concur with him.

However, that is not the same thing as saying that Og was wrong. One of the great advantages to reading Neanderpundit is how Og stresses the simpler nature of what others weave into complicated explanations.

Og subsequently published this The Nature of Evil. In it he refined the three elements of evil he was conceiving during our discussion.

Primarily, he relates all evil to the infliction, enjoyment and profit from suffering.

My initial inclination was to think that his definition seemed a bit narrow. I am inclined to see evil in those who deliberately mislead others to their own destruction. As for those who are themselves misguided and then help mislead others, what are they? Well, they become agents of evil even if they themselves don't mean to be. Those who may be called "useful idiots" fit this latter description.

In our discussion, it didn't take me long to figure out how ticked off he is with the medical establishment. And even so, that is hardly reason enough to declare his view of evil as narrow. The trick, of course, is to take the report of his vision and see how it fits in with what I see.

Now Og knows I like to take my engineering skills and use it to study how little items fit into the forest we call living. I do it to to figure out better how the forest operates.

To me it's a big jigsaw puzzle. (My Mom told me that while still in my crib, when I became bored completing puzzles with the picture side up I would complete them cardboard side up). Sometimes you see the whole picture before you're complete. Sometimes you are missing key pieces, but so what? Overall you can still comprehend most of what the picture tells you even before it's half complete.

So Og knew what he was doing, as usual. Yes, Og, I think I can fit your definition of evil into my own.

First of all, for any new readers. Though it might seem not to be the case from the following discussion, know that I am religiously agnostic. I am a searcher.

Some have said I am doing it the hard way. Others have said worse.

But if there is a God, that is between Him and me, and that seems to be all that any religion has a right to ask of its followers. Get right with Him. Sadly that seems far too often not the case. Get two people to agree and they too often — almost automatically, like it is something beyond their control — will make the third person a heretic.

What I refer to is the Concept of God. The Ideal. The Creator is First before the creation. When a man seeks out perfection he has a damn good chance to catch excellence. And we live in a whole world in which to seek excellence. It's really hard to get bored unless one limits oneself (most common) or if some outside forces attempt to limit you (next most common).

We can bowl a perfect game: but who can claim to ever bowling 12 mixers: 12 perfect strikes? "In your mind" we would tell such a claimant.

Exactly.

And if we can conceive of perfection in some matters of creation, why not all creation? Such clearly implies a Creator. And yet some don't even want to allow your children to even consider Him as a concept. If the Creator doesn't suffer from that course of events, then He really doesn't exist.

See Og. I finally got here. Sorry for the delay.

Evil as suffering. Evil is intent on inflicting suffering upon the Creator of the universe. He suffers as a parent who suffers when he or she witnesses his offspring coming to a bad end.

We are told that the first thing He told us to do, as he was taking us out of our box: "Be fruitful and multiply."

Why? Because He built all creation for us to enjoy. The more of us there are, the more opportunities for mankind to get one of us to see things the others just cannot see. We each are a potential help to each other.


What profit it men to have the Lord suffer in this way? So that men who don't know Him will turn to the scheming little demigods who will offer themselves to fill the breach. So that they will be worshipped instead of the concept of the Creator.

And why would the demigods want the Creator's creatures to suffer? Because that is the easiest way to drive the Creator's otherwise thinking creature (man) to allow themselves to be treated like cattle. People who suffer from illness want to die. The demigods can more easily cull a herd of thinking cattle if you can get the cooperation of the cattle. So let them suffer rather than spend "limited" resources on now useless eaters. What place has love and appreciation for a life well lived? Well: "Don't let her suffer: kill her. Please!"

And why would such men enjoy the suffering they are inflicting? They have do dismiss the humanity of those they are inflicting the suffering upon. They have to see themselves as higher up on the food chain. It's so much easier to do once they teach themselves to enjoy their "work" rather than wretch as would be the normal response.

It is like in battle. When the general who wants his men to fight tougher than the enemy? He wants his men to hate the enemy. So much easier to enjoy killing.

Well so it is with those who are warring against humanity. It is so much easier to get the agents who are waging that battle to enjoy the suffering they're inflicting. You of an earlier and more wholesome influence would think of such things as aberrant, as abnormal. Hell, the megalomaniacs who wage war on "overpopulation" need to make what was once abnormal and beastly become acceptable? As for allowing you your self-defense: now, that is unacceptable -- to them.

Now the medical profession has had many noble men in it. Many from the past did life-saving work with very little pay. But we've permitted the institution to become corrupted along with so many other institutions in our besieged culture. How? (Well, I've another puzzle sitting in a box that describes that. It will have to wait. )

All one needs to know about the medical establishment today is that many medical schools have eliminated the Hippocratic Oath: "First, do no harm." It is gone.

After that, how long do you think it would take for many to descend to this? "Psst. When we don't offer pain medication, and our patients really suffer, we'll have their loved ones begging us to let 'em go. Heh, heh, heh."

So Og. Here you are. Here is how your concept of evil blends in with mine. At least, that's my "short" order response.