Evil In Humanity (And Philosocom's Directory on Evil)
Updated: Jul 21
For more Evil, here are some articles:
https://www.philosocom.com/post/what-is-true-evil
https://www.philosocom.com/post/the-polarity-of-evil
It was only recently that I realized that there is a very thick connection between evil and self-interest. The more you put yourself above others, the likelier it is that you'll commit evil acts, which are basically actions that serve you at the expense of others.
Of course, this is a very broad definition, because egotistical pursuits, such as self-care and even beautification (shaving, putting on make-up) can technically be not evil at all. Ego thus leads to much evil, but it is not inherently evil.
Nevertheless, when we put our own self-interest over the dependency on or cooperation of others, that is when evil has the potential to occur. When the cursed Ms. Chen called me irrelevant, she did so even though she knew I meant no harm and that I wanted her as a connection in my life. The fact that she saw me as disposable, despite my own consideration and history, is borderline, if not entirely, evil.
In Star Wars, we see the Empire as the personification of evil in that universe. In the Imperial ranks, everything and everyone is disposable, from troops to spaceships to Darth Vader himself in the sixth movie, as the emperor wanted another servant in lieu of Vader. The stormtroopers, who serve as the Imperial elite shock troops, are expected to show full loyalty towards the emperor by overcoming their own individual needs and identities.
It was only recently when I realized that there is a very thick connection between evil and self-interest. The more you put yourself above others, the likelier that you'll commit evil acts, which are basically actions that serve you at the expanse of others. Of course, this is a very broad definition, because egotistical pursuits, such as self-care and even beautification (shaving, putting on make-up) can technically be not evil at all. Ego thus leads to much evil, but it is not inherently evil.
Nonetheless, when we put our own self-interest over the dependency or cooperation of others on us, that is when evil is in potential to occur. When the cursed Ms. Chen called me irrelevant, she done so even though she knew I meant no harm and that I wanted her as a connection in my life. The fact that she saw me as disposable, despite my own consideration and history at hand -- that is borderline evil, if not entirely evil.
In Star Wars, we see the Empire as the personification of evil in that universe. In the Imperial ranks, everything and everyone is disposable, from troops to spaceships to Darth Vader himself in the sixth movie, as the emperor wanted another servant in lieu to Vader. The Stormtroopers, who serve as the Imperial elite shock troops, are expected full loyalty towards the emperor by overcoming their own individual needs and identity.
Thus, he was evil not only to his enemies but also to the people he led -- by leading his nation, and the entire world, to unnecessary ruin and death. He refused to undergo any redemption, and thus he killed himself and let the war go to hell in his mortal absence. It wasn't the crimes he committed that made him evil in that regard; after all, Augusto Pinochet, the deceased Chilean dictator, is considered a hero by many even though he committed terrible crimes too.
Hitler's evil is when he is not ready to come clean and openly admit that he made mistakes that he needs to pay for through retribution and punishment. Much bloodshed had been made, and he lacked the heroic courage, the "good" courage, to atone through trial; to admit defeat. By killing himself, he disposed of the lives of the people whom he sacrificed for his goals; the blood of his brainwashed population will not be avenged.
Heroism and villainy are therefore not the same as good and evil. Ms. Chen, who disposed of me, is a hero in her own story, and I, in said story, am but a minor antagonist that kept coming back during the years we have known each other.
In other words, beyond the objectivity of obvious crimes and other misdeeds, one's hero is another villain, and vice versa, regardless of their moral alignment. Since she told me, in our final conversation, that I didn't do anything wrong, I consider her an anti-villain; someone who just wants to have other people in her life. There is no evil, after all, in wanting to see other people; it is the wonder of adulthood, to be able to choose the people in your life.
It all lies in the seemingly eternal conflict between self-interest and egotism over loyalty, love, unity, and brotherhood, that defines evil. If you are ready to "put a knife" in the back of your most loyal friends and family, over something such as power, money, and so on, then you are technically evil, at least now that the backstabbing has been done.
On the contrary, if you put your own self-interest ahead of that of friends, family, and your country, then you are either a good person, a hero," or even both. However, let us not forget that Nazi Germany's hero was obviously Hitler, even if his heroism led his nation into inevitable doom. Then, at least according to the Nazi perspective, Hitler was either a coward or a tragic "hero" who failed his mission against the "evil" of the "lesser" "races".
Finally, a note -- we can never overcome this eternal conflict between good and evil if there is no total unity. a total identity of "I" and "We" together. It is in division that conflict arises. A total unity, in the form of humanity as a universal identity, is when we can say that we are one and that everyone cares for everyone else.
However, that is far, far from actualization, and I'm not sure if it will ever be, if there is nationalism, elitism, racism, and separate collective identities with no common recognition as a greater, unitary whole. A whole that transcends difference of any kind, at least on that recognizable level of being.
The world as it is now, is a massive collection of self-serving entities, whether they are corporations, countries, or any other independent collective bodies. Even if there are altruistic people in the world, the former cannot be avoided.
