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 %EVIL GERM BACTERIA RESPOND INTEGRITY GUILT FRIEND 921106

     Human   responses to the presence of evil seem  often
to  be based upon  an  informal  theory  of  evil which is
constructed in  parallel  with  the  germ/bacteria/viruses
theory  of medical disease.

     We  must be careful not to associate with  people who
have contagious   medical   diseases,    because   through
our    associations    germs/bacteria/viruses    may    be
transmitted  from a diseased person to us;  apart from any
aspect of our will,   decisions,  attitudes,  or conscious
responses  to their presence.

     In a parallel manner we may seek to avoid association
with  people  who  have  what we regard  as  a  contagious
evil disease,   because  through our association with them
the  "essence  of  evil"    may be transmitted  from   the
"evil persons"   to  us;    apart from any aspect  of  our
will,  decisions,   attitudes,  or conscious responses  to
their presence.

     We  need   to  distinguish  between  the  essence  of
medical  diseases    in    which    germs/bacteria/viruses
which   are objective  micro-agents play an essential role
in  people being  dis-eased;   and evil relationships  for
which   no objective  micro-agent  has been identified  as
playing  an essential role in people's dis-ease.

     The essence of "evil"  resides in the  quality of our
inter-personal relationships in which we are  not-at-ease,
dis-eased;   not in objective micro-agents.   People often
think  that the essence of "evil"  may reside in spiritual
"micro-agents" which infect "evil" people apart from their
wills, decisions,   attitudes,  or conscious responses  to
other people;  and so they may  think  that quarantines of
"evil people"  are appropriate.  Such thinking needs to be
clearly  articulated and advanced as a formal   hypothesis
which can be tested to see if it has integrity.

     Do  "good people"     become   "evil  people"    just
through  association with "evil people".   If so,   how is
any  "good person"    to do anything to "save"   an  "evil
person"?   The informal  "theory of evil"  which parallels
the  theory   of medical disease  which  is   based   upon
micro-agents  is a misleading informal theory.  We need to
grow  up  and develop a  more integrative  theory  of  the
nature  of  evil;   and   of  how   evil  grows  when   we
thoughtlessly   behave as immature children  who  are  "in
the  dark"   about the  essence  of dysfunctional   inter-
personal relationships  wherein  evil resides.    We  need
to  recognize  the  presence  of  evil alienations  within
our RELATIONSHIPS; and not look so hard for  the  presence
of   evil  agents within in our  bodies,   minds,   souls,
and/or spirits.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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