The Power of Evil

If you’re inclined to believe in evil as a supernatural force that’s been unleashed upon this world, you’ll not have to look very hard. Everywhere we look these days we see evidence of its existence: self-serving executive leadership that appears constitutionally incapable of telling the truth, that uses the levers of power to reward friends and punish political foes instead of improving peoples’ lives, that celebrates people losing their jobs, healthcare, and food assistance; a government that enables and empowers such leadership contrary to our constitution and the needs of the people, that allows the murder of children to continue in mass shooting after mass shooting, that revels in the suffering and abuse of immigrants at the hands of masked agents seemingly accountable to no one; and a populace that cheers all this on, perhaps even engaging in violent action to take their leaders’ talking points to their suggestive conclusions or, at the very least, enabling the whole evil mess with their votes or nonengagement.

Pastor David Black being pepper-sprayed by masked ICE agents.

Ah, but those with a different point of view might call out the “evil” of our “incessant preoccupation” with bringing their beloved leader to justice for his many crimes. They might see “evil” in our standing in the way of the Christian nationalist agenda. They might see “evil” in our willingness to let immigrants “overrun” this country and “drain her of her resources.” They might see “evil” in our support for abortion in cases of rape or the woman’s life being in danger. They might see “evil” in our support of individuals who live outside of heteronormativity and a fixed gender binary. Who knows, they might even see “evil” in our unwillingness to invade Hollywood and bring to justice those who’ve been maintaining their youth with the blood of children!

Evil is in the eye of the beholder. But please don’t understand me to be saying that I think the aforementioned points of view share the same degree of merit. I’m not. But that’s not the point I want to make, anyway. What I want to say is that evil is not a supernatural force, a fixed trait, an immutable entity. Evil describes actions resulting from profound ignorance on the part of the evildoer. When we adopt the belief that evil is a supernatural force that’s been unleashed on this world, we give it undue power over us, we prolong its existence, and we exacerbate its impact on the world.

When we believe in evil as a supernatural force, we dehumanize the so-called evildoer. When we consider someone to be evil as such, there ceases to be any point in communicating with them or seeking to understand their point of view. Why try to understand evil? It will not be swayed toward goodness, after all. That’s not what evil is!

When we think of evil in this way we step onto a slippery moral slope leading to a point where the curtailment of evil actions can only be accomplished via the subjugation or annihilation of the evildoer—unless you believe in exorcism, that is. Needless to say, if someone perceives that their very existence has become the target of subjugation or annihilation, then communication becomes impossible. Why communicate with someone who thinks you’re evil?

If, on the other hand, we believe that people do evil things out of ignorance, then communication may proceed: Why are you doing that? Don’t you see how much harm it causes? Well, that may be, but we can’t let such and such thing happen. Then how about we do this? No such exchange can take place when each party thinks that the other is evil.

Now, we might be inclined to think someone is ignorant for promoting “rightwing propaganda,” “the DEI agenda”, “patriarchal ideology,” or “woke indoctrination,” but the ignorance I’m referring to is much more basic. I’m talking about a fundamental, existential ignorance as to what will make us all truly happy and contented human beings. Buddhism points to this type of ignorance as the root of all suffering.

Take our POTUS, for instance, it seems that his entire adult life has been spent enriching himself at the expense of others, whether with his rapacious business dealings, interpersonal relationships, or approach to governance. No doubt many consider him to be one of the most evil men alive today. And yet, happiness seems to have eluded this man more successfully than anyone I can think of. Yes, he has a fortune, but he seems utterly devoid of even a scintilla of wisdom that might allow him to enjoy it. He is trapped in the throes of ignorance, and, sadly, it is negatively affecting us all.

Ah, but we all have at least something in common with our POTUS. Each of us possesses at least a little bit of the existential ignorance that prohibits us from experiencing greater joy, or which may even prompt us to do harmful things. Here are some examples of ignorance that may lead one to do evil things:

• Behaving as if nothing is more important than you—not the wellbeing of others, not the country, not the earth, not peace, justice, or truth, not anything.
• Behaving as if other living beings don’t share your need and desire for safety, agency, and happiness.
• Seeking to resolve contentiousness by employing power-over solutions.
• Dehumanizing others such that their annihilation seems not just desirable but required.
• Behaving as if life is a zero-sum game in which another person simply living their life in the way they see fit is seen as detraction from or diminution of your own. Behaving as if the happiness, strength, or success of another somehow takes away from your own.
• Behaving as if the ends justify the means.
• Behaving as if small infractions indicate a fundamental unworthiness on the part of the “guilty party.” The “guilty party” may then be stripped of due process, humane treatment, and dignity.
• Behaving as if the world exists to serve your needs, even at the expense of others. You deserve the world’s resources if you can get them or take them. You deserve the world’s labor if you can engineer the economic system to work out that way.
• Behaving as if might makes right.  
• Behaving as if differences detract from the whole rather than contributing to its richness.
• Behaving as if the only things worthwhile are those that can be monetized.

Are there others? I’m sure there are. What do you think? What examples of fundamental or existential ignorance would you add to this list?

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This post is in the Power, Practice, and Peace series.

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Photo of protester accosted by ICE agents found on the internet. Owner unknown at present. 

Copyright 2025 by Mark Robert Frank