07/10/2023
âI do not believe in evil...Instead, I believe that some people are in enormous pain and that in their pain they do things we call evil.â
âThere is no pure or absolute evil. Evil arises from pain not recognized. It is not the pain itself that gives rise to evil; rather, it is the denying and repression of the pain that eventually creates a desire to inflict pain on others.
If pain is consciously addressed, accepted, and allowed to be felt at all levels, it will dissipate and even make one a more loving and wise person. If, however, pain is repressed, the personality believes that part of it is bad and not welcome.
The initial pure emotions of fear, grief, or anger become perverted.
By being judged and repressed, they turn into negative beliefs such as âI am a cowardâ (for being fearful), âI am incapable of overcoming grief,â âI am far too sensible and not able to cope with life,â or âI should be nice and obedient because anger is wrong.â
âWhenever the initial emotions are repressed and turned into judgments of unworthiness on the part of the carriers of those emotions, the people involved become tense, depressed, and even violent. They are in constant struggle with themselves. When the struggle becomes unbearable, the aggression turned against oneself may be turned outward toward others. Then it becomes evil, as you call it, but there always is much aggression toward oneself first.
"Underlying the aggression is unaddressed pain. Addressing this pain is the key to dealing with evil at the most basic level.â
- Excerpt from Robert Schwartz's book "Your Soul's Gift"