Evil? Maybe It's Just Fear + Expediency

The majority of "evil" -- or just nastiness -- I think is less due to malice, hate, or cruelty.

I think the majority of bad things people do happen because they're (1) afraid, and (2) they take the expedient course.

Fear is a mess, of course. Scared people do all kinds of idiot moves.

(Which isn't to say that fear is irrational. Maybe the fear is justified. But scared people do stupid and crazy things.)

But fear... fear is probably okay, even. If you work through it. If you understand it. If you take time and work at it.

The nasty thing is when you're scared and you take the expedient path -- whatever the easy play is, whatever the first thing that springs to mind is. That's when people do quite a lot of damage -- when they're scared, and take the easiest, most expedient path towards feeling less afraid.

Autosaved...
Advanced options  
/

How true

Have you read Prometheus Rising? Are you familiar with the 8 Circuit Model of Consciousness?

  • Deleted

    Deleted

    This account has been deleted.
  • 5 years ago
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

A corollary could then be GOOD = Long Term Strategy + Courage. (Not sure what the opposite of fear in that equation would really be.)

But yeah, from personal experience, it's not malice. It's taking the shortest route because someone was scared/unprepared. It's someone being unsure of himself, so he reverts to the most obvious, most established, or what he perceives to be the least risky action--regardless of the overall cost.

  • Jamie

    Jamie

    Professional geek working in the contact centre industry, currently based in Singapore.
  • 5 years ago
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne

Obviously John plans to charge, not ride the hell outta town. It can take courage to do what is right or necessary. I think you are right that evil can occur simply through inaction or taking the most expedient route.

  • Paulo

    Paulo

    I'm a strategist. Interested in biz, mkt, science, history, psychology, rationality, hiking, diving, photography.
  • 5 years ago
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

"Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by ignorance"

Majority?
You leave off the things people do in order to be "good", but which don't work. I am far more worried about those...and the problematic scope of those than simple fear or expedience. Hell, good intentions?

hide

Read Next

"How To Break Through With Your Work" by Mars Dorian

Mars Dorian's motto in life is, "When you’re not trying to fit in, you’re free to stand out."

Mars is an illustrator, designer, blogger, and consultant focused on helping you and your business stand out. He's edgy and embraces authenticity even to the point where his work can be quite controversial -- but he's also got brilliant insights and excellent artisanship. 

To promote his recent GiveGetWin deal where you can get a copy of his illustrated guide to branding and standing out, Mars sat down with Sebastian Marshall and opened up about reaching the highest levels of creative potential, owning where you're at, and becoming truly exceptional at your craft. Enjoy --

"How To Break Through With Your Work" by Mars Dorian, as told to Sebastian Marshall

I start my day with 2-3 hours of learning. After breakfast and before I do any work, I start learning and dissecting something related to my craft.

Warning: This Might Make You Quit Your Job

On On Reading and Living

I remember not hating my job (and my life), but not exactly enjoying it.

I remember reading Linchpin by Seth Godin.

I remember that morning in the gym, when I said, That’s it. I’m done. I quit.

These are my highlights (highlights, meaning I did NOT write these) from Linchpin.

This is how Seth Godin made me quit my job. Don’t read it if you don’t want to quit yours.

Rendering New Theme...