The Face of Evil
Is it possible to be resilient to pure evil?
People like us have a hard time accepting that humans have a very dark side. A side we call 'inhuman' because we can't believe there is a dark side to being human.
The existence and ability of human beings, flesh, and blood, to perform cruel acts to other human beings has been studied and will continue to be taught by philosophers, psychologists, sociologists for centuries. The inability to feel, to feel empathy for another person, especially to feel the pain of another in times of suffering, shocks us. This ability to detach emotion from the pain and suffering of a flesh-and-blood human being is difficult to contain.
But this is not new. It has always existed. Since the dawn of humanity.
If you google what brings out the dark side of being human, a lot of factors will come up... Childhood trauma, environment, extreme beliefs, a sense of superiority over race or religion, poverty, belonging to hate groups, and more... All these seemingly rational factors fail to convince us how human beings are capable of an emotionless level of abuse of another person, especially against the weakest: like children, older people, disabled people, women... Because ostensibly men symbolize power and are meant to fight.
The question is how to deal with evil and if it is at all possible.
There is no scientific answer to this. There is no formula in mathematics for how to become resilient to evil. Many of us fail to grasp this capability at all, so some of us will be able to cope a little better with this dark side of human beings and some of us will be less so.
I am reluctant to try to understand, but since I've been interested in it on a personal level for years, maybe in order to try to deal a little better with this dark side of humanity, to get a little more resilient so that it doesn't wipe out our souls, we can:
1. On the one hand, we can remain optimistic and believe in the good side of humans because that truly exists. That's a fact. That’s us here. Human beings have a side of human nature that is full of compassion, love, empathy, and heroism. Look at what crazy acts of heroism happen around us every day. People are capable of risking and even sacrificing their lives and souls with full awareness for another. This does not contradict the fact that it is very difficult for us to accept that there is also a dark side to man, but just as there is factually light and darkness, night and day, black and white, there is also good and evil. There is no advantage in burying one's head in the sand and refusing to accept these contradictions in nature and man.
In my humble opinion, accepting and internalizing that evil exists already helps to strengthen ourselves because it surprises us less with high intensities that can paralyze us on a level of no return when it does. When we "ignore" the existence of evil or do not accept its existence, we are shocked, crushed, shocked when it encounters us. True, just knowing does not change the pain and suffering due to evil, but it can perhaps help with the intensity of our response in healing from the injury, in coping, because awareness and acceptance of the existence of evil, even if does not ease our psyche, can perhaps help in the stages of recovery.
2. One of the first things that happens at the stage of shock, trauma, loss, crisis is asking questions that are usually unanswered and probably won't be. If we accept that pure evil exists in humans, then we might cross the phase of unanswered questions faster. Those questions do no bring relief, such as: Why? How can this be? How can humans do such things?
3. Accept that we do not bring evil upon ourselves. We didn't do something that deserved it. Evil exists without anything being done on our part. Without contributing to it. It's a dark side that exists and we're not to blame for it. It's not up to us.
4. Fight evil. Fight it hard!! Oppose it.
5. Don't be tempted by this side. It's the darkest, darkest side of man. This is not the side to be in.
6. Perhaps one of our best ways to fight evil is to surround ourselves with more like us and stick to each other. Be strong together in our fight against it. To keep our souls together with good people and surround ourselves with the good side. If the world is divided into good and bad, then we are on the side of the good and we need to strengthen the good.
In the current situation, we will not be able to look at the difficult pictures from Israel without it cracking our souls. Without it being etched in our DNA. Because we are among the good sides of humans.
We can only support each other. Reinforce the good. Be good to each other. Embrace our good ones who have met evil. Wrap them up and remind us all that the good will always continue to fight the bad because there is no other way.
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