“Selfishness is the father of all evil.” – Buddha

 

All evil is rooted in selfishness.  Take any evil act, boil it down to its essence – what remains is some form of egoism.

Evil has always been with us, since the beginning of time, demonstrated in a multitude of ways. One needs only a casual understanding of history to see this fact illustrated time and again.

Evil is insidious and nefarious. Evil seeks to distort and deceive. Evil will say anything to get others to do its bidding. Evil is the ego run rampant. Evil is a liar. Evil is a narcissist. Evil holds allegiance to no one or nothing other than itself.

Evil owes nothing. Evil gives nothing. Evil is selfish.

When you make a deal with the Devil,  you’re a fool if you expect the Devil to uphold his end of the bargain.

Evil’s objective is complete control. 

Some people give themselves over to evil willingly. They recognize a commonality, a kinship. A shared desire or goal.

“Evil is saying what we’re thinking!  Evil hates the same people we do! Evil can do something for me!”

Evil can lead its agents to jeopardize and sacrifice themselves, their loved ones, their futures simply so it can relish the suffering of others.

Evil is cruel. Evil is sadistic. Evil alienates. Evil divides.

Evil can masquerade as piety, zeal, devotion. Evil loves to embed itself in politics and religion, to cloak itself in the disguise of righteousness. Evil thrives on the illusion of superiority and supremacy.

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”                  – Maya Angelou

Evil has been allowed to colonize, to fester, and infect our country. We are presided over by a malignancy that has shown us, for its entire life, its true nature. What it always has been. What it always will be.

We live among advocates of evil who are proud, egotistical, willfully ignorant, stubborn, and spiteful. They harbor anger and hatred. Evil offers them validation for their prejudices, contempt, self-loathing, and hostility.  Evil tells them that their own selfishness is appropriate, justified, and the most important thing.

Evil is inherent to the human condition and we must learn to co-exist with it. We cannot allow it to spread its toxins and poison what is good. We must identify it. Expose it. Attempt to control it. Disarm it.

Now, more than ever, we must fight for the soul of our society.