The Yin and the Yang: The Interconnectedness of Good and Evil

Composed and posted on February 19, 2016

Steve,

What makes the consideration of good and evil even more complicated is the perception held by so many that good and evil are interconnected.  There are some who believe that these two qualities could not exist without the other.  That is perhaps why Ma Tsu (Mazu Daoyi) advised not to reject evil since evil is the companion to good.  See

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_and_yang

for a brief preliminary discussion of these contrasting/complementary notions.  And even note that the dreaded swastika of the Nazis has its own beloved meaning in other cultures

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

One of my favorite movies of all time is "It's A Wonderful Life" wherein George Bailey is shown the meaning of his life by demonstrating what life for others would have looked like in the Pottersville created by his absence.  In that movie, it is conveyed that much grief would have occurred without the presence of the "good man" George Bailey.  Following the converse of "It's A Wonderful Life", those who contemplate the koan of Ma Tsu may want to wonder what would this world have been like without the presence of the "evil man" Hitler. Would the accomplishment of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics be as significant? Would the Greatest Generation have been "great"? Would the Civil Rights Movement have found fertile soil in America without the then recent memories of the Nazi atrocities?  Would the European powers have relinquished their imperial aspirations to allow the peoples of Africa and Asia to seek their own independent courses?  Would men have gone to the moon?

No, as a "civilized people" we cannot condone the acts of Hitler and it is right to condemn him.  But at the same time, from an historical perspective, one often finds that great progress often follows great oppression and even great tragedy.  The story of Exodus, the passion play leading to the Resurrection, Muhammad's return to Mecca, the Mormons journey to Utah are examples of foundational stories of light springing forth from periods of darkness.  Accordingly, Ma Tsu may be right in not rejecting evil since it is from evil that comes so much good.

Peace,

Everett "Skip" Jenkins

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One aspect of the discussion that is often overlooked is the age old "heriditary/environment" conflict which is often debated  when defining an indiviudal. In the context of "evil", I can't help but smile and think of one of my favorite movies, "Trading Places" where Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd exchange  lives between a ghetto resident and a rich stock trader. Who is evil and why  has to do with the circumstances one finds oneself in and their contemporaries. Is evil an inherent trait in a Hitler, or is it developed by experiences or both? And where does redemption fit in?

Perhaps an answer to the issue would be if Donald Trump were to live the next six months in Appalachia and a poor  current resident with no hope of a reasonable life were to be the leading Republican candidate through Super Tuesday, we might get a glimpse of the answer to the question.:-)

Steve

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This has been one of the more interesting “out of the blue” discussions - thank you Skip!

Yesterday I was playing around in my mind whether it is the act or the person that should and can be called evil.  I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist and do not own a copy of the DSM-5, the diagnostic bible.  While there are many/must pathologies codified in DSM-5, including some really terrible personality types that would be demonstrated by acts that we might label as evil, I am not sure there is an “evil personality” diagnosis that goes by that name.

So if evil reelected in a person is a spiritual and not medical issue, then what about the capacity for redemption?

Having gotten that out of the way, what really prompted me to write were the words of the Pope today on abortion and contraception.  There was a distinction made between an “absolute evil” (abortion) and “not an absolute evil” - contraception under extraordinary (?) circumstances.  Yes, the Pope accepts the relativism of evil and circumstance.  Juxtapose this with Trump sniping back at the Pope today and….what a narcissistic bully.

In the “word” of colleague Jenkins,

“Peace”

Andy