(c) John, Rekesh 2004-2008. No part of this work may be copied or reproduced without the author's permission
The Nature of Evil
Evil is an
extreme manifestation of the principle of separation, disorder and disintegration, a law that is inherent in the universe. It co-exists with the principle of cohesion or unity which binds and holds the universe together, and which is experienced within the emotional aspect of Being as Love. These two principles originate within the Godhead and are absolutely essential for the maintenance of life and order in the universe.
Life is a balance between forces of order and of chaos. A building is steadily worn out by the elements, and requires constant cleaning, fixes and an occasional coat of paint. A weedy yard grows wild and requires pruning and selective elimination to maintain its order. The law of entropy in the universe is constantly at work against the forces of growth inherent in nature. Death, disintegration or elimination in some way, is absolutely essential for evolution, and for the rise of complex life in the universe.
The first manifestation of the principle of separation occurred when the ONE split into the MANY. The unimaginably vast and complex energy and consciousness which is the ONE, separated and seggregated repeatedly, forming manifestations of energy and consciousness ranging a whole spectrum from the simplest and unconscious to the largest and the most powerful. Its smallest, densest and the least conscious elements are perceived as
Matter - the crucible for life as we know it. The separative forces behind all these expressions are held in check by cohesive forces that bind all manifestation together, and results in the very long run, an ultimate return to the ONE. In this balance, is
Life.
The separative principle may be found at work, from the minuscule to unimaginable scales of life. In any fragment of Being,
at any level, this principle is at work along with that of cohesion. For man, which principle gains the upper hand is a matter of
choice and free will, and
herein lies the roots of evil as it is often experienced. Evil in the
individual human context, is man's use of free will and the direction of energy along the principle of separation more than along the principle of cohesion. The greater the imbalance towards the separative principle, the more the evil is perceived. The greater the force towards cohesion or love, the more goodness is perceived.
At levels above the individual human, larger effects of the principle of separation begin to manifest, often recognized in instances of war and conflict. These are extreme manifestations, but
much of the workings of the separative principle are of benefit in creating order. Examples range from various prohibitive laws established in society, to those as simple as the use of a vacuum cleaner on a carpet, a lawn mover on grass, or cutting one's hair. They all create order from the use of a separative or constraining force. War too results in change and new orders of life in the long run.
The forces of separation and limitation are just as powerful as those of cohesion and unity. There are
levels of Being aligned to the principle of separation, even as there are levels aligned to that of Love. These forces of 'evil' and 'good' (in human terms) are equally balanced, and each has its right to exist and to operate, and they
oppose as well as co-operate with each other in manifesting the greater order of life. Many of these have found their way into a multitude of religious characterizations (such as gods, angels, demons, the Devil and so on). These notions may be considered as caricatures of an underlying truth, for these forces serve the above stated purpose in the expression and evolution of Being. They will continue to exist for an individual fragment of Being, until that fragment merges into the underlying unity of the ONE.
See also:
Opposites