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      %ESSENCE OF EVIL ULTIMATE FEAR DISINTEGRATION 880605

     Evil  is that which we may with personal and communal
integrity  most fear.    Whether or not we  live with both
personal  and communal integrity depends much upon whether
or not we have a coherent sense of the essence of evil.

     Some  people  think/feel that the essence of evil  is
displeasing  some  particular  person or  group.    Others
identify  the essence of evil as non-conformity;   perhaps
some  particular  form of  non-conformity,   perhaps  non-
conformity  in  general.   Yet others may  feel  that  the
essence  of  evil is pleasure which has not been  properly
earned or authorized;  e.g., sexual pleasure,  relaxation,
unconditional personal acceptance, etc.

     The  nature of a community depends greatly upon  what
it   and   its   members most fear;   and upon  what   the
community  regards  as  the essence of evil.    If what it
most  fears leads   to  the  breakdown  of   communication
within   the community,  the community  will  disintegrate
both  personally and communally;   it will lose its  unity
and no longer be a true community.    It will disintegrate
and lose its unity.  It  is  important  to have a coherent
conception   of   the  nature   of   evil,     else    the
community  can  not  remain coherent, whole.

     If  the essence of evil is believed to be  such  that
there  can  be evil people,  then it is  logical  that  we
should  be  able  to identify and fear  evil  people  with
ultimate  concern;  for they would be the  incarnation  of
that which is most to be feared.   It will be of  ultimate
importance  to  know  the  characteristics  by  which   to
identify evil people; perhaps they are non-conformists who
do  strange things.   If so,  we should fear certain  non-
conformists.

If    the    essence   of   evil   is  to  displease
some particular  person or group;  then it is important to
know  what  will displease that person or group,   and  to
govern  our lives accordingly.   That person or group will
dominate our lives.

     If the essence of evil is non-conformity,  then it is
important  to know what form of conformity is the  essence
of  goodness;  and to know which conformists are good  and
which non-conformists are evil.   We are likely to believe
that   we  are  among the good  people  and  are  properly
alienated   from all the evil people;  or perhaps that  we
are  among  the evil people  and   justly  are   alienated
from   all   the   good  people.  Neither  alternative  is
particularly attractive;  but then,  maybe the universe is
essentially evil.

If the essence of evil has to do with pleasure, then
it  is  important to know which pleasures are  most  evil;
e.g.,  sexual pleasures.   If we know which pleasures  are
most evil,  then the essence of salvation is to avoid  the
pleasures which are most evil.   Life then becomes a story
of  avoiding  pleasures  which  are  made  all  the   more
attractive   because they are unfamiliar to  good  people,
but  familiar  to   evil people.    Evil people  then  are
those  who enjoy  the forbidden pleasures which we greatly
desire,  but  more  greatly  fear.    Such a conception of
evil leads  to both personal and communal disintegration.

     Each  conception  of  the essence of  evil  leads  us
either  toward disintegration or towards integration.   If
we    most   fear  the  loss  of  personal  and   communal
integrity,   we  are  not  likely  to be lead  to   either
personal   or communal disintegration.   Yet,   it is  not
enough  to merely fear  the lost of personal and  communal
integrity.      Fear  alone does not lead  to  integrative
behavior.

     Healthy  fear  provides  motivation,   but  not  even
healthy fear can provide guidance.

     In addition to a healthy fear of loss of personal and
communal  integrity,   we  need a coherent  sense  of  the
dynamics  of  personal integration,   and  disintegration.
We need  to  understand with our hearts,   minds,   bodies
and  souls  which  attitudes,   thoughts,   behaviors  and
spiritual   lives  lead towards integration;    and  which
lead  towards  disintegration.    In the absence  of  such
understanding/wisdom,  our   fears  drive  us towards that
which we most fear.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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