Blessed Bees * last updated May 3, 2000

The Nature Of Evil
by Melissa Oringer
(c) Melissa Oringer, 1999-2000, All rights reserved

>Want a topic? What is your view of evil? Does it exist? Not?
>Where? Under what circumstances? I would be intetested in
>finding out what the NROOGD community thinks of this.

Thank you for asking this. In pondering it, I realized that I couldn't honestly consider the nature of evil without first making a distinction about the existence of evil.

It's my observation that evil is a purely human energy.

Because humanity is self-aware, there are a number of concepts that I consider unique to our species, among them Justice, War, Civilization, Hate, Truth, Art, Economics, Lies, Honor, Evil - human inventions based in our self-awareness and the self-determination that results. Beings without self-awareness are closed circles - always being exactly what and who they are. Human beings, with self-awareness, are spirals, with the ability to imagine, to create, to change.

I believe there are two "levels" of deity: those energies that are common to all beings, self-aware or no, and those that are unique to humanity. I place evil in the latter group.

By virtue of our (humanity's) self-awareness, there is a responsibility that results. Evil arises when we act in violation of that responsibility. Ultimately, evil is a perspective taken from those who are aware of that responsibility and witness the behavior of those who do not.

I need to ponder a lot more before I can talk coherently about the nature of evil itself. What is the difference between a human and a human monster?

Blessings,
-M

(c) Melissa Oringer, 1999-2000, All rights reserved