Which character trait...

[buttercup]

... do you believe is at the root of most of the world’s evils? You can vote for up to two things.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Fear...….fill in the blank of what you fear and it creates or becomes any of those listed and more besides

 

[buttercup]

Fear...….fill in the blank of what you fear and it creates or becomes any of those listed and more besides

OK, thanks for your thoughts. But how does that explain things like pedophilia, rape, human trafficking, etc.?

 

[deannalw]

There are many different types of evil. No one or two descriptive words can explain it all. I think drug and alcohol abuse can cause evil to happen. So can blind ambition or greed. I think abortion is evil. So is genocide.
Different kinds and scope of evil. Too bad.

 

[petro]

Still going with the classic...
Money.

 

[buttercup]

There are many different types of evil. No one or two descriptive words can explain it all. I think drug and alcohol abuse can cause evil to happen. So can blind ambition or greed. I think abortion is evil. So is genocide.
Different kinds and scope of evil. Too bad.

Yes, it’s true that there are different types of evil. And I definitely agree that drug / alcohol abuse causes people to do evil things. But I was thinking about it and it seems to me that just about every evil stems from selfishness (caring only about oneself and one’s own pleasure)....And when selfishness is coupled with a lack of empathy, it’s even worse. Which ends up affecting not only the victim, but the world overall, eventually.

 

[buttercup]

Still going with the classic...
Money.

Thanks. Not to be nitpicky, but the Bible says it’s the love of money (not money itself) that is at the root of all kinds of evil. Anyway, I thought of that, but it seems to me that falls in the category of selfishness.

 

[petro]

Still going with the classic...
Money.

Thanks. Not to be nitpicky, but the Bible says it’s the love of money (not money itself) that is at the root of all kinds of evil. Anyway, I thought of that, but it seems to me that falls in the category of selfishness.

Could also tie in with lack of empathy and dishonesty.

 

[dblack]

Fear...….fill in the blank of what you fear and it creates or becomes any of those listed and more besides

OK, thanks for your thoughts. But how does that explain things like pedophilia, rape, human trafficking, etc.?

Fear of rejection?

 

[buttercup]

Fear...….fill in the blank of what you fear and it creates or becomes any of those listed and more besides

OK, thanks for your thoughts. But how does that explain things like pedophilia, rape, human trafficking, etc.?

Fear of rejection?

I guess that’s possible, but maybe a lust for power would explain those things better. I probably should’ve added that to the list, but being power-hungry kind of goes hand-in-hand with selfishness, I think.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Fear...….fill in the blank of what you fear and it creates or becomes any of those listed and more besides

OK, thanks for your thoughts. But how does that explain things like pedophilia, rape, human trafficking, etc.?

Well those weren't part of the question and ultimately none of the OP has to do with character traits and neither does fear, but these are more emotions than character.
Pedophilia, rape and human trafficking are crimes, but not necessarily evil.....although to society and their victims it seems evil.

 

[Hossfly]

Godlessness is the root of all evil. My personal opinion.

 

[BreezeWood]

Which character trait do you believe is at the root of most of the world’s evils?

any that are used to cause harm to others, which implies it is the recipients spirit and not their traits that is responsible for evil behavior - someone selfish that does not cause harm to others is not evil and is why simplistic religions themselves become evil through exacting unfounded accusations, harm on otherwise innocent individuals. history repeating itself.

 

[buttercup]

Godlessness is the root of all evil. My personal opinion.

Uh oh, you’ve gone and opened up a can of worms there. I think it’s a good point because in my (politically incorrect) opinion, until a person is born again, they are still in their worldly, sin-loving state of being. Which leads to a lot of things on the list. But on the other hand, I know non-believers who are generally decent people. So I’m sticking with selfishness as the #1 thing. But looking at the poll, it looks like I’m completely alone on that, haha.

 

[buttercup]

Which character trait do you believe is at the root of most of the world’s evils?

any that are used to cause harm to others, which implies it is the recipients spirit and not their traits that is responsible for evil behavior - someone selfish that does not cause harm to others is not evil and is why simplistic religions themselves become evil through exacting unfounded accusations, harm on otherwise innocent individuals. history repeating itself.

When you say “the recipient’s spirit”, what do you mean by that? That sounds very general and vague. While I agree that a person can have bad qualities yet not act on it… Nearly all bad actions stem from bad qualities on the inside. Did that make sense?

 

[Chuz Life]

I voted other.

My two suggestions are

1. Disappointment
2. Frustration

 

[fncceo]

The worst character trait in man is his empathy and desire to do 'the right thing'. Everyone who does evil, believes their doing to right a wrong or champion someone who they believe is downtrodden. They do it by committing wrongs on others and making someone else downtrodden.

Not giving a fig about anyone else but yourself will ultimately save mankind.

 

[buttercup]

The worst character trait in man is his empathy and desire to do 'the right thing'. Everyone who does evil, believes their doing to right a wrong or champion someone who they believe is downtrodden. They do it by committing wrongs on others and making someone else downtrodden.

Not giving a fig about anyone else but yourself will ultimately save mankind.

Interesting... do you mean like SJWs? I’m not sure if you’re being sincere or if you’re half joking, but I disagree. Even if the person is wrong in their crusade for a social justice movement or whatever… As long as they’re not harming anyone, imo they’re just misguided, not evil. But maybe you’re talking about something else, I don’t know.

 

[fncceo]

The worst character trait in man is his empathy and desire to do 'the right thing'. Everyone who does evil, believes their doing to right a wrong or champion someone who they believe is downtrodden. They do it by committing wrongs on others and making someone else downtrodden.

Not giving a fig about anyone else but yourself will ultimately save mankind.

Interesting... do you mean like SJWs? I’m not sure if you’re being sincere or if you’re half joking, but I disagree. Even if the person is wrong in their crusade for a social justice movement or whatever… As long as they’re not harming anyone, imo they’re just misguided, not evil. But maybe you’re talking about something else, I don’t know.

"It doesn't take the smartest man in the world to see that we have problems. But, it takes a room full of morons to believe they're small enough to handle."

-- The Comedian, "Watchmen"

 

[Avatar4321]

Pride