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Departments Global Issues Institute Creative force of evil by Charles Mercieca, Ph.D. February 1, 2007 Charles Mercieca, Ph.D. President, International Association of Educators for World Peace Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education, Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University In the sphere of morality there seems to be no neutrality. We are either moving on the right track or on the wrong track. We may either be performing well or we may be promoting evil. Of course, there are various spheres or degrees of both good and evil. Two individuals may be kind but one may reveal to be kinder. This applies also to evil since one may reveal to be vicious but another may demonstrate to be more vicious. Concept of Good and Evil In philosophy people often remark saying that what may be good or bad for me may not be the same for you. This may be true but it is not so in the realm of morality where good is viewed as what is conducive to the welfare of all people without exception, while evil is conceived as what is detrimental to every single person without exception. The real problem that people face in life is not when they are confronted with good but when they are faced with evil. Needless to say, it is much easier for all of us to deal with good than to hustle with evil. In view of this, we may proceed to explore what could be done when confronted with evil, an element that nobody really likes to experience. Evil could be approached in two ways. One way leads toward its eventual annihilation and the other way tends to ignite it more making things eventually turning from bad to worse. Unfortunately, most people choose the second route, which explains why the world at large is full with so many problems. This route is taken when we try to contend with the evil we encounter by another evil. This approach is built on the philosophy of an eye-for-an-eye and a tooth-for-a-tooth. The parties involved will both end up being blind and without teeth for all practical purposes. In fact, the problem of evil encountered here will continue to grow and spread bringing untold harm to numerous others. This has been the problem with the foreign policies of Israel and the United States in particular. They both use retaliation in a devastating way when even faced even with the mere shadow of evil. And we are all familiar with the eventual results. No one ends up being the winner; everyone involved ends up being a loser. However, there is another approach in dealing with the creative force of evil in the most effective way conceivable. This approach has always worked when used with no exceptions whatsoever. It has been used throughout history by those who revealed to have a sound philosophy of life, by those who were viewed as saintly, and by those who were renowned for their wisdom. In the first place, we need to understand that evil in the world has such a creative force because we hardly ever use the right means to deal with it. Effective Conquest of Evil If we pay back evil with evil, we do not conquer it but rather we are conquered by it. Besides, we become its ally! If instead of resisting good in favor of evil, we proceed to destroy the roots of evil in us, we will definitely be in a position to do a tremendous amount of good. We will surprisingly reach the point of literally conquering the world in due time. This approach has proven to be a tangible fact over centuries of recoded history. If through this manner victory is absolutely guaranteed why don’t we always act this way? In ascetical writings we always find this same one way of conquering evil very effectively with no virtual exceptions. Going back to 2,000 years we find Paul of Tarsus telling the Romans quite emphatically: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12.21). We learn from the Master Teacher of Nazareth that God, who is viewed as the most powerful existent being of all times, always returns the evil we offer him with good. This explains why some saintly people got into the habit of reciting this daily prayer: “Lord, victory is always on your side, strengthen me that I may conquer evil.” Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King. Jr. and numerous others have exerted a tremendous positive and constructive influence on others. They all were treated unjustly and at times even brutally. Yet, they all reacted the same way. They returned love to those that despised them and they rendered themselves servants to those who happened to have been around them. As a result, the world became somewhat better as revealed in the numerous followers they have accumulated to this very day. Each time we encounter evil we may either wipe it out completely to the point of its total annihilation or we may simply ignite it in a way that we enable it to become a really strong creative force in the world to the detriment of all of us. The choice is entirely in our hands. This is what marks the line between politicians and diplomats. While politicians adopt policies of machismo resorting to the military to get what they want by hook or by crook, diplomats seek for healthy dialogues and the provision of constructive programs that prove to be beneficial to all people without exception. Email this article to a friend |
Don't forget to check out articles from 2007 and 2008
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