Heart of Darkness: Healing Human Evil

[Dhara]

M. Scott Peck’s analysis of the Mylai massacre, its massive cover-up and the deceptions made by our government in the Viet Nam war should not be missed for its lessons for us today.

Peck wrote, “The cover-up was a gigantic group lie.” The troops of C Company of Task Force Barker killed between five and six hundred unarmed villagers. Significantly, a young officer by the name of Colin Powell participated in the cover-up.

Peck cites MyLai as an example of “group evil.”

Discuss group evil and how we as people who wish to overcome evil may use our spirit and religious practices to overcome evil.

 

[Dhara]

Oops, here is the link for the above discussion of M Scott Peck's teaching on evil.

YURICA REPORT / How to Detect Evil

 

[Dhara]

Evil can be overcome by love.

 

[Dhara]

How could the Nazi doctors have conformed the large-scale medicalized killing of innocent and defenseless human beings with an otherwise completely normal private life?

For the Nazi doctors, genocide had been committed as a permissible and commendable form of "healing." Simultaneously, for them, exterminating a "lower species of life," or "vermin," was a principled act of hygiene, and also an act of mercy. In essence, this methodical killing was justified as nothing less than an obligatory therapeutic imperative.
Understanding Ordinary Evil

 

[saveliberty]

Sometimes exposing evil to the light, so people can see it is the best you can do. Evil defines the act, not the person.

 

[Ravi]

Sometimes exposing evil to the light, so people can see it is the best you can do. Evil defines the act, not the person.

Really? Hitler and Stalin weren't evil, only their acts were?

 

[PredFan]

Good....Evil....there is never one without the other.

 

[Dhara]

Sometimes exposing evil to the light, so people can see it is the best you can do. Evil defines the act, not the person.

I agree with you, that even the most EVIL person has Buddha nature, the potential to be enlightened. Otherwise what you say about "evil define the act, not the person" may mean something different to you.

 

[Dhara]

Good....Evil....there is never one without the other.

In the sense, that are both judgment's that's true. Duality. Some religions claim there is such a thing as ALL GOOD and ALL EVIL. I disagree in those absolutes.

 

[PredFan]

I believe that are most certainly evil people: serial killers, criminal sociopaths, Obama, etc.

 

[Dhara]

I believe that are most certainly evil people: serial killers, criminal sociopaths, Obama, etc.

We may wonder if anyone is INHERENTLY evil. If that were the case, we'd all agree on who's evil.

 

[PredFan]

I believe that are most certainly evil people: serial killers, criminal sociopaths, Obama, etc.

We may wonder if anyone is INHERENTLY evil. If that were the case, we'd all agree on who's evil.

I guess that depends on how you mean "inherently". I would call a murderous sociopath purely evil. Now, I suppose the argument could be made that early in their development, circumstances created the sociopath that weren't the fault of the person, but regardless of why, they are still evil.

 

[Dhara]

I believe that are most certainly evil people: serial killers, criminal sociopaths, Obama, etc.

We may wonder if anyone is INHERENTLY evil. If that were the case, we'd all agree on who's evil.

I guess that depends on how you mean "inherently". I would call a murderous sociopath purely evil. Now, I suppose the argument could be made that early in their development, circumstances created the sociopath that weren't the fault of the person, but regardless of why, they are still evil.

Evil acts, eviil speech, evil mind. Always an opportunity to stop the evil at one of those three doors.

 

[PredFan]

I believe that are most certainly evil people: serial killers, criminal sociopaths, Obama, etc.

We may wonder if anyone is INHERENTLY evil. If that were the case, we'd all agree on who's evil.

I guess that depends on how you mean "inherently". I would call a murderous sociopath purely evil. Now, I suppose the argument could be made that early in their development, circumstances created the sociopath that weren't the fault of the person, but regardless of why, they are still evil.

Evil acts, eviil speech, evil mind. Always an opportunity to stop the evil at one of those three doors.

Of course, but what if the damage has already been done? The rate of success in rehabilitating a pure sociopath is dismally low and the price of failure is unacceptably high.

 

[Dhara]

I believe that are most certainly evil people: serial killers, criminal sociopaths, Obama, etc.

We may wonder if anyone is INHERENTLY evil. If that were the case, we'd all agree on who's evil.

I guess that depends on how you mean "inherently". I would call a murderous sociopath purely evil. Now, I suppose the argument could be made that early in their development, circumstances created the sociopath that weren't the fault of the person, but regardless of why, they are still evil.

Evil acts, eviil speech, evil mind. Always an opportunity to stop the evil at one of those three doors.

Of course, but what if the damage has already been done? The rate of success in rehabilitating a pure sociopath is dismally low and the price of failure is unacceptably high.

Sociopaths cannot be rehabilitated, but most of the people locked up in our prisons can be.

 

[IsaacNewton]

Fitting, the name My Lai. 'My lie'.

The Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad in the late 1800's, is about a ship boat captain on the River Thames in England recounting the travels of the Belgian boat 'Nellie' into the Congo. It is about how 'civilized' Europe brutalized the 'dark' continent. It points out that the savagery of the 'uncivilized' Congo and the 'civilized' world were equal. Belgium, England, and other European countries slaughtered the native populations in Africa to gain it's wealth. The setting on the River Thames also harkens back 2,000 years when it was the Romans who were the 'civilized' people that were exploiting the people of the British Isles. The story had come full circle.

Apocalypse Now was a retelling of Heart of Darkness with America in the position of Belgium and England, bringing it's 'civilization' to the Far East, in this case Vietnam, while using brutal savagery against the population. The scenes of American soldiers surfing and the use of technology to slaughter not just the opposing soldiers but the innocent civilians as well are not just for the movie. They point out how the 'pinnacle of civilization' is capable of the most base savagery.

 

[Dhara]

Fitting, the name My Lai. 'My lie'.

The Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad in the late 1800's, is about a ship boat captain on the River Thames in England recounting the travels of the Belgian boat 'Nellie' into the Congo. It is about how 'civilized' Europe brutalized the 'dark' continent. It points out that the savagery of the 'uncivilized' Congo and the 'civilized' world were equal. Belgium, England, and other European countries slaughtered the native populations in Africa to gain it's wealth. The setting on the River Thames also harkens back 2,000 years when it was the Romans who were the 'civilized' people that were exploiting the people of the British Isles. The story had come full circle.

Apocalypse Now was a retelling of Heart of Darkness with America in the position of Belgium and England, bringing it's 'civilization' to the Far East, in this case Vietnam. Using brutal savagery against the population. The scenes of American soldiers surfing and the use of technology to slaughter not just the opposing soldiers but the innocent civilians as well are not just for the movie. They point out how the 'pinnacle of civilization' is capable of the most base savagery.

Yes, I read the book and saw the movie.

I am really wondering what makes some minds soo intractable that they WANT to cause harm to others, think about it a lot, use violent, negative speech nearly all the time. Karma?