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**Adiamant** · 05-13-2008, 11:58 AM

dear friends,

more interesting thoughts from deepak...

http://www.intentblog.com/archives/2...al_cure_f.html

be well, be love.

david

the real cure for evil is also the fastest
deepak chopra - may 12, 2008

i have no patience for theories of universal evil -- that is, attributing evil to satan, the fall of man, genes, human nature, or unnamed dark forces lurking in our unconscious. in one way or another, these theories have increased the effects of evil rather than alleviating them. in addition, they are false, or at the very least unprovable. evil may be powerful, but nobody has ever photographed the devil or caught the unconscious on an mri. on the other hand, there's enormous validity in viewing evil as something very different: a matter of perception. we all know this from everyday life. we forgive our children for things that we condemn harshly in another person's child. our perception is colored by love and loyalty on one hand but not the other.

is this unfair, a form of favoritism that's morally unjust? it can be, of course. but the underlying principle doesn't change: evil is hugely affected by perception. the most evil person you can conjure up in your mind, whether it's a nazi, muslim extremist, pedophile, or murderer, probably is loved by someone (mother, wife, girlfriend, priest), and thus is perceived very differently. perception isn't passive. far from it -- children perceived as good, lovable, worthy, and strong by their parents turn out well in life compared to children perceived as bad, weak, stupid, and unworthy. each of us has metabolized past perceptions and turned them into the self we are today. we assign meaning to every experience along a scale from very good to very bad.

the argument for pure or absolute evil runs afoul of this fact. no matter how evil something is, if you don't perceive it as applying to you, it doesn't become part of you. the most heinous social movements (anti-semitism, racism, religious bigotry, xenophobia) infect many, but there are always some people who are immune. this leaves room for the evolution of perception. instead of fighting absolute evil, the people who produce real change go beyond rigid condemnation and fear. if their immunity is strong enough, they can look evil in the face. what do they find? something that can be cured, or at least understood and alleviated.

05-13-2008, 11:58 AM	#1
Adiamant Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 479 Senior Member	The Real Cure For Evil Is Also the Fastest dear friends, more interesting thoughts from deepak... http://www.intentblog.com/archives/2...al_cure_f.html be well, be love. david the real cure for evil is also the fastest deepak chopra - may 12, 2008 i have no patience for theories of universal evil -- that is, attributing evil to satan, the fall of man, genes, human nature, or unnamed dark forces lurking in our unconscious. in one way or another, these theories have increased the effects of evil rather than alleviating them. in addition, they are false, or at the very least unprovable. evil may be powerful, but nobody has ever photographed the devil or caught the unconscious on an mri. on the other hand, there's enormous validity in viewing evil as something very different: a matter of perception. we all know this from everyday life. we forgive our children for things that we condemn harshly in another person's child. our perception is colored by love and loyalty on one hand but not the other. is this unfair, a form of favoritism that's morally unjust? it can be, of course. but the underlying principle doesn't change: evil is hugely affected by perception. the most evil person you can conjure up in your mind, whether it's a nazi, muslim extremist, pedophile, or murderer, probably is loved by someone (mother, wife, girlfriend, priest), and thus is perceived very differently. perception isn't passive. far from it -- children perceived as good, lovable, worthy, and strong by their parents turn out well in life compared to children perceived as bad, weak, stupid, and unworthy. each of us has metabolized past perceptions and turned them into the self we are today. we assign meaning to every experience along a scale from very good to very bad. the argument for pure or absolute evil runs afoul of this fact. no matter how evil something is, if you don't perceive it as applying to you, it doesn't become part of you. the most heinous social movements (anti-semitism, racism, religious bigotry, xenophobia) infect many, but there are always some people who are immune. this leaves room for the evolution of perception. instead of fighting absolute evil, the people who produce real change go beyond rigid condemnation and fear. if their immunity is strong enough, they can look evil in the face. what do they find? something that can be cured, or at least understood and alleviated.
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