On Evil
The sport of dehumanizing others
“You don’t believe in evil, do you,” my therapist softly posits, nudging the box of tissues closer to me. The worst tragedy of my life had occurred just a few days prior, and I was trying to make sense of it all.
This particular therapist was an avowed progressive Buddhist atheist, so hearing him talk of something as crusty as “evil” did catch me off-guard — it’s also an uncommon direction to take in a clinical setting, a setting usually devoid of piety or absolutes.
“I mean I do believe that people do evil things,” I replied, “Of course they do. But it comes from trauma, unmet needs, addictions… hurt people, hurt people.”
“Some people are evil,” was his steady reply.
Mental health therapists don’t always get it right. A state-issued license does not guarantee perfect insight. This time, though, this therapist got it right.
There are some humans among us who are just evil.
They don’t just lose their cool. They don’t just have a different political philosophy. They don’t just have unhealed wounds. They don’t just need Jesus, meditation, medication, or punishment.
Shaming them will absolutely not work.
Their inner bent is toward chaos. The brutalizing of others is their throughline. Dehumanizing others brings them joy.
Sometimes they dehumanize others by whom they are intimidated.
Sometimes they dehumanize others whom they deem weak.
Dehumanizing others is their sport.
If you have someone evil in your life, the feeling of being humiliated is likely a common experience for you. Your reality is denied, your sanity is questioned. Early in getting to know you, they mine for your deepest insecurities. Zeroing-in on those insecurities — beyond just teasing, often in the presence of others to increase your humiliation — they devour you.
Striking fear in others amuses them. This tactic may eventually reward them with increased dominance and control, but in the short-term it is a way to get-off, a way to get turned-on. The turmoil the rest of us experience is observed by them with interest, titillated by watching the suffering of others.
We fight evil by calling it what it is, standing steadfastly against it, and having no tolerance for those who enable it — those who absolutely know better.
Most principally, the best way to fight evil is ensuring we are doing all we can to be nothing like them.
This blog entry from Adam Arnold, MA, LMFT, LADC is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, psychology, mental health counseling, chemical health counseling, spiritual or religious guidance, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no provider/patient relationship is formed. The use of the content provided by Arnold is at the participant’s own risk. The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Participants should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.