Everyday Canvas

Reacting to Evil

Prompt: “Never react to an evil in such a way as to augment it,” Simone Weil.
Your thoughts on the quote, and in what ways, do you think, one can or should react to evil?

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One thing we ask when faced with evil is, can we destroy it? To begin with, there’s that moral and ethical justification for wanting to destroy all evil, but is this doable? In all likelihood, the option of total destruction may not be possible. Plus, what if our violent response, instead of eradicating evil, amplifies it?

Although, as a word, evil is an abstract that has no substance, its being is felt through its works because evil always creates victims. I believe, if we can take care of the suffering of its victims, we may be able to win half the battle against evil without augmenting it.

In addition, what we call evil may not be evil at all, but a different way of being. True evil, in my opinion, is beyond the limits of reason and it creates chaos and despair wherever and whenever it strikes. Evil is the biggest bully ever and, since bullies can be turned into cowards, we should respond to it appropriately.

To attack evil with strictly evil deeds or to attack violence with strictly violent deeds may only empower evil more. Still, depending on the size and power of the evil, we have to retaliate to make sure it creates no more victims. Once we are able to assess correctly what that evil is and how it works, coming up with different solutions and different angles of attack can give us more ammunition against it. In short, we must think before we act.