Evil does it exist and if it does where does it reside?
Evil has many faces and often escapes explanation. I had the privilege to work as a correctional official in South African prisons. A privilege because my life was shaped by extraordinary individuals while performing my duties. These individuals include members and inmates. As a young man I was reminded that prisoners were incarcerated not for punishment but that their incarceration was their punishment. It was from my interaction with prisoners that I was reminded of the divide between man and evil.
In my conversations with prisoners, who were convicted of heinous crimes, I realized that they were often only the instruments through which evil could operate. When speaking to those awaiting their execution I was able to establish my own definition of evil. Evil is the unexplained reason. These convicts on death row could rationalize their actions up to a point, but then reason would escape them. Why they tortured and maimed were mostly answered by “I don’t know”. This “I don’t know” played an important role in their conviction and as a consequence the death penalty.
Evil has many faces and and will at times use the innocent as a tool to achieve its goals. The most favourite or preferred goal being to instil fear and horror. As individuals we are instruments for information – we distribute it. We therefore have a responsibility to ensure that, when we forward or communicate information, we do so responsibly lest we become instruments of evil.
The corona virus provides us with the opportunity to become aware of what and how we communicate information. Verify and clarify, but most important “know why” you press the send button.
Do not allow your face to become the mask that evil uses to attain its goals.