Evil Exists, But Not Within Our Grasp

“Evil” is easy to say, but it is hard to do. (It may be impossible.)

Humans act out of emotions. Many killers kill out of a sense of pride, not evil. They feel wronged; they want to avenge that wrong. Ever hear President Trump boast, “if you hit me, I will hit back ten times harder.” That is the persons a mass killer projects. It is his delusion that, not only must he strike back at the world, but he must inflict a hundredfold grief upon any world that would treat him cruelly.

When President Trump heard about the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas (besides calling the man “evil” and “deranged”, and assuring the world that America does not have a gun problem), he brushed it off as “a mental health problem.” In a way, he is right, except that he sees mental health only in the extreme. (All sins are a mental health problem.)

People suffer mental illnesses on a scale similar to how they suffer physical illnesses from colds to cancer. We all get a touch of madness from time to time. It is called anger and lust and pride and greed. We will do what it takes to satisfy that madness. (Having guns at the ready does not help.) Most of us, once we are done, return to our good and former selves, similar to how we overcome the sniffles. We are not evil. We are simply weak – slaves to emotions we think must be satisfied. 

We are quick to label people “evil” when they commit acts we abhor. By our standards, the senator who votes to pull the rug of healthcare from beneath the poor is evil; presidents who levy economic sanctions against poor nations in a deliberate attempt to starve that nation’s people are evil; the child who pulls the wings off of houseflies is evil. 

I lack the theological background to put into words the true concept of evil as mankind imagines it. In any case, true knowledge of evil is as unattainable as true knowledge of the divine.

These people who commit mass killings are not evil. They are simply selfish and terribly mean. We make statements attributing evil to them, we are merely satisfying our need to assert control, and display a moral authority we do not have. 

Mother of Messiah

There is a 23-year-old woman, a corporal, serving as a damage control officer aboard a U.S. naval carrier in the Pacific. She has left behind a three-year-old son named "Messiah." When asked by CNN's Brooke Baldwin, who interviewed her aboard the carrier, how often she sees her son, the corporal answered, "twice a year." Ms. Baldwin then asked how she felt about her decision to leave her child and join the navy. The woman replied, "Someone has to do this job." Well, mother of Messiah, someone has to care for your child, too.  

The corporal might want to consider whether another sailor among the 5,000 aboard that ship can do her job there better than another woman back in the States can do her job here.  

There are other questions, like: "Should America's navy be recruiting young mothers and encouraging them to seek adventures on the high seas half a world away from their children?" And...

"In a land of 300 million people, is the mother-of-a-small-child's defense of a large ship more efficacious to the security of that nation than her defense of her child's emotional stability?" And.... (this to Messiah's mom:)

"Is physical damage to that aircraft carrier more compelling to you than the emotional damage you surely inflict upon your son each time you abandon him for a stint overseas?" 

Simply put, mother of Messiah: Though you may need the navy, the navy does not need you as much as does your small child. For better, or for worse, Messiah will always be proof that there is no greater patriot than a good mother.  

In the Land of Exceptionalism, Boorishness Reigns

Trump is obviously a boor. So, what? America has a history of such behavior. Ever hear of “The Ugly American”? Trump is the embodiment of that concept. It’s what we get. (I hear there are people around the world who pity American to have landed such a leader as Trump. Not. They gloat.)

Hillary poses in her new book, “What Happened?” Perhaps she wonders how boorishness could have made such an outlandish entrance at her juncture in history. Madame, this boorishness we suffer came with Columbus. But it was only when a rupture in the political landscape created such a breach as to allow the abominable to rear its head, that we saw its face. 

That breach was created when an advanced society of 300 million people forced its electorate to choose between two imminent septuagenarians whom polls showed fully 60% of the populace did not trust. It may well have been the greatest compromise of this nation’s values in U.S. electoral history. We pulled back the covers on ourselves.

Trust is the foundation of all good relationships. If America will entrust its precious democracy to the least trustworthy among us, then what does that say about each of us and our relationship with the truth?

Neither Trump nor Hillary promised honesty. They promised money and power. America was keen to hear it. And wherefrom all of this money and power? From all other things, and all other peoples, on this good Earth.

Boorishness flexes its muscles, indifferent to the damage such express musculature leaves in its wake. Trump is America’s consummate boor. He exposes us all. Our enemies, and our allies, gawk at the sight. Yet, there is something fated about Trump – like karma; like chickens coming home to roost.  

"Morons", and Misfit Moments

Who among us has not, at one time or another, looked into a mirror and said to himself, “You’re an idiot.”  Furthermore, who has not, at one time or another, said the same to a friend, or family member? Certainly, each of us has, at some time or another, said of one boss, or another, “What a moron!” It happens. 

So, when Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, called his boss, President Trump, “a moron,” why would anyone be surprised? Gillien Turner, a Fox News contributor, said Tillerson’s “moron” remark never happened. Trump calls it “fake news.” The State Department’s press secretary assured the nation, “Secretary Tillerson does not talk like that.” Let me assure the nation:  We all talk like that. 

In the wake of Stephen Paddock’s killing of 58 concern-goers in Las Vegas, former president, Bill Clinton, said, “This should be unimaginable in America.” Is he serious? America sets the table for such carnage: Freedom of movement, guns galore, bullets-a-billion – (what’s it all for except to kill one another!) – and a history of violence unparalleled among modern societies. There is no nation on Earth where such a heinous act is more imaginable than the good ol’ U.S. of A. 

Remember September, when Senator Jon McCain voted down the Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal Obamacare? Much of the attention seemed focused on McCain letting his good friend, Lindsey Graham, down. The focus should have been on Senator Graham “letting his good friend,” McCain down by pushing a partisan bill in the face of McCain’s (dying) request for a return to bipartisanship, and “regular order” to the Senate. 

In 2016, the age of 66, I will be up for parole again. If parole is granted, the fullness of my joy, (and my surprise), may stop my heart. If denied, the depth of my despair will surely break it. Either way, it’s hare to see how I’ll ever see home again.