Several years ago in college I took an English course entitled "The Literacy of Evil". . . .when I had originally signed up for the class I had expected it to talk about books of the horror genre (which is one that I am a fan of). I expected to like the class. I also expected that once the class was over I wouldn't think about it again.
I was wrong on several of my preconceptions. . . . . .
To start with the class did not discuss horror. . . .it discussed evil. . . .and there is a big difference. Horror, from my recollection of the instructors lecture, is something that is really self-made, whereas evil is something that is outside of ourselves. . . .like, hearing that someone fell into a cesspool & needed to be rescued helps me to create, in my mind, a feeling of horror since I am not involved and am only reacting to something that I heard or read about. Whereas, someone that murders a child is evil and creates evil in the world.
There is a fine line between the way you think about both horror and evil. . . . and even all these years later I still have to sit down & contemplate the differences.
For the final paper that we needed to prepare we were told that we could use any medium (film, novel, newspaper article, etc.) to show what evil was and to defend our choice.
My choice was a
tv movie entitled something like "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" . . . . the basis of the story was that this nanny targeted a family (mother, father, daughter & new baby) to terrorize. . . .for no reason other than her own twisted need to be a part of a family and to have what someone else had. Because she was too weak to go after the things she wanted on her own.
I got an A on my paper and still have it in my files.
Now, I don't know about you but I have encountered perhaps only 1 or 2 truly evil people in my life so far. . . . . but it amazes me still the extent to which these people will go to inflict whatever harm they can on other people. . . . simply because they can.
Recently, however, I have become aware of one of the most evil people I have ever known about. . . .and luckily it isn't anyone that I am in contact with on any more than the most casual of situations.
What makes this person evil. . . . well, part of it would appear to come from the fact that they feel entitled to create havoc in as many peoples lives as possible all under the guise of "just trying to help". . . . and, of course, they are doing anything but helping themselves feel better since they choose to try to create puppets of the people that they are supposed to care for and about.
It is truly amazing to watch this person in action. . . . and I guess part of my fascination comes from the psychology classes that I took in college. However, I am grounded enough to not want to know this person with any more depth than I already have (which, thankfully is such a small component of my life as to be inconsequential). . . .but it has taught me a lesson. . . . .
Evil lurks in our midst and it doesn't always show itself until it is exposed. . . . and then, like the old horror movies of vampires, with sputtering, great howls and much gnashing of teeth, it dies once it is exposed to the light of day. . . . . and while they can claim that they alone hold the truth, the evil ones will always be exposed, and brought to a point where they can either admit their terrorism, or slink off to find a less confident soul to start their terrorism all over again.
Have you ever fallen victim to an evil person? Are you still being hounded by one? If your evil was in the past what did you do to "break the spell" so to speak?
Yeah, I know, lately my mind has been travelling in weird places. . . . . . . . .
In peace and pieces,
