The "Our Father" asks to "deliver us from evil."
Being a student of "positive thinking" and "goodness" philosophy, for years I've tried to overlook the evil forces that dwell among us in society. These forces can come in the form of associates, "friends" and the seemingly well-intentioned. But some come from a malevolent place and can be totally destructive to you, if you are not discerning and aware.
In fact, I now believe it totally irresponsible not to acknowledge and recognize the PRESENCE and power of dark forces in our midst.
It is extremely difficult to detect these forces, as they come so well disguised. The only way to discern them is to be viligant at all times in their presence. If you suspect a person of "wickedness" and "evil," and once you've verified your suspicions, RUN. Do not ever look back!
"If you see good in people, you radiate a harmonious loving energy which uplifts those who are around you. If you can maintain this habit, this energy will turn into a steady flow of love."
-Annamalai Swami
Try as I might have done to see only "good" and radiate only "love" to some of these "negative forces," and after attempting to give them the benefit of the doubt, I have to accede to the existence of "evil" present within their humanity, personality and behavior. I can no longer dismiss these people as "harmless," as to do so is to be extremely careless with my life and affairs.
What IS Evil?
Evil often is defined as a lack of moral code. Religions also differ in the way they see and define evil. For purposes of this blog, I see "evil" as an absence of God, or absence of good in thought and behavior.
Psychiatrists such as Carl Jung saw evil as "the dark side of God." Evil people, psychiatrists contend, often project their shadow side onto others.
However it is defined or viewed, when in the presence of evil, you can feel the existence of this force by those who scrutinize every word, every action, every thought you may express. You witness it by seeing it in their interactions with you and others, where everything is done for their benefit. Indeed, many "evil" people may not even be aware that they are acting in that way, so innate is their makeup, beliefs and behavior.
No one is born evil! Based on what I've observed and learned, evil behavior is learned and often is handed down from parent to child and can be perpetuated through generations.
"The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones."
--Mark Anthony, Act 3, Scene 2, Julius Ceasar by William Shakespeare
How does "EVIL" look?
The best known "evil" people, like Hitler, mass murderers and others have been documented throughout history by their acts and for hurting scores, hundreds, thousands at one time. But often, evil comes in the form of "ordinary" people, and I contend that in any form, it can be just as destructive and insidious when it is employed day by day in small ways.
Evil people are not necessarily "evil" looking on the outside. They may look like anyone else.
Spending superficial time in their presence also will not give you any insight into their evil ways.
Unless you're of the same ilk, it may take years of interacting with these people to truly decipher "evil" ways. Many of the "average evil" people vacillate between extremely good, loving behavior and downright hateful and spiteful behavior, often caught in a struggle to do "good," when only "evil" is sprouting from their minds. Often, the latter wins!
As a first sign, "evil" may come as jealousy or anger at any form of success in others.
At another time, it may be expressed as greed and wanting everything someone else has even if there is no real "need" for it.
Often, "evil" people make everyone's business their business, pretty much all day long.
I've encountered some who have taken only "peripheral" jobs, because they need to build into their days and nights time for "researching" others. They have this built-in flexibility in their schedules, without even being aware they have done so.
So deep may be their resentment of others that they will spend hours wondering, plotting, scheming how to "duplicate" someone or trying to destroy them, if/when duplication is not feasible.
Without a doubt, most "evil" people are the "littlest" people in the world. But we know how the bite of the smallest insects can hurt the most!
Prevailing View of Evil
Many religions view evil as a lack of moral code, with some believing that it is a total absence of God.
The question remains: If God is all Good and we're made in the image and likeness of God, where and how did evil arise?
I contend that evil arose in the world from the beginning of time, as we as a species became more preoccupied with "things of the world," at the expense of the "inner spirit." It is the "Adam & Eve" syndrome, where we bite into the fruit of "materiality" and come out "lusting" for more!
Many prominent psychiatrists view evil as "acts" vs. the entire soul of a person. I agree with this assessment. For even when the entire persona is consumed with "evil," their actions may be hard to discern because those are disguised with other positive behavior.
The late Dr. M. Scott Peck, a prominent psychiatrist, viewed evil as "militant ignorance," according to Wikipedia.
"Peck considers those he calls evil to be attempting to escape and hide from their own conscience (through self deception) and views this as being quite distinct from the apparent absence of conscience evident in sociopaths."
Wikipedia also lists Peck's definition of an evil person:
"According to Peck, an evil person:
*Is consistently self-deceiving, with the intent of avoiding guilt and maintaining a self-image of perfection.
*Deceives others as a consequence of their own self-deception.
*Projects his or her evils and sins onto very specific targets, scapegoating others while appearing normal with everyone else ("their insensitivity toward him was selective.").
*Commonly hates with the pretense of love, for the purposes of self-deception as much as deception of others.
*Abuses political (emotional) power ("the imposition of one's will upon others by overt or covert coercion.").
*Maintains a high level of respectability and lies incessantly in order to do so.
*Is consistent in his or her sins. Evil persons are characterized not so much by the magnitude of their sins, but by their consistency (of destructiveness).
*Is unable to think from the viewpoint of their victim.
*Has a covert intolerance to criticism and other forms of narcissistic injury.
Counteracting "Evil" in Life
When you recognize forces of evil in your life, you may choose to immediately cut all ties. In some cases, this may not be feasible. So, you've got to develop a strategy to interact with these "forces."
The first thing you should acknowledge is that try as you might, you will not ever be able to "change" these people's ways. In some cases, you may help them to modify certain things in their lives, like outright "gossiping" about others. But changing the entire person is an act of God and is not possible at the hands of another living Soul. Only acts of God can exorcise those inner "demons" in people. Don't try!
Once you've acknowledged, you can't change them, counteract the presence of evil with spiritual "tools." I fortify myself with objects that I consider protective:
*Sprinking Holy Water around me.
*Having objects blessed for protection in the Catholic church, like a cross or rosary or other spiritual items.
*When forced to be in continuous presence of these people, I also repeat the rosary as often as I can during the period of my interactions with them. This always seems to block any flow of their negative energy towards me.
Do not pretend with these people.
*Be upfront with them, letting them know in as "friendly" a way as possible that you do not trust them and that you know that their intention for you is not good. Let them know that their "gossip" and "malicious" ways are obvious to you, though you are choosing not to respond to their behavior in kind.
Let these negative forces know that as much as possible, GOD is the presence and power in your life.
Indeed, God Presence and God Power are the only true means to rid yourself of any force of evil, especially when it is purposely being directed towards you.
*Pray in the presence of these evil people to let them know that they cannot hurt you and also to set an example of "goodness" for them.
*Talk to them about spiritual things so they may learn.
Speak often of the 23rd Psalm and The Lord's Prayer, especially countering their negative energy towards you with the line:
"Thou preparest the table before me in the presence of mine enemies."
When you sit back and think about these "evil" people, the best thing you can do is to pray FOR them.
May God help them.
May God help us all.
At the end of today, though, it is the "good" men and women, who are of the light that will carry the flame forward and light a path into the world. They will heal "evil" and "darkness" with their beautiful light. I know a lot of these men and women too, and they give me hope.
As stated in today's (July 31, 2011)Daily Word:
"I see myself and others as one in Spirit. We are one; there is no separation. There is no judgment. There is only the realization that we are each made of the same 'stuff' in our unfolding universe."
That, my friends, is the bottom line: We're all here struggling with our "stuff!" It's only a matter of "degrees."
Namaste',
Che'
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