Re-Defining "Evil"

Yesterday I worked with a young woman who viewed her troubles and those causing them as "evil" and something within me immediately rejected the implications of that word. Those she labeled evil I saw as children, like toddlers with their unsophisticated desire to find pleasure (a new toy, a piece of candy, or a parent) and to keep it within their realm of control. I myself have dealt with others whom I once labeled "evil" -for certainly their actions were harmful and sometimes even done with malicious intent- but I have come to reject that label for them as well.

 True evil, I believe, is a rarity in this world and more often should be attributed to a specific act rather than an entity. More often I believe that the trials and even horrors that we experience come from people just like you and I, people who can get caught up in the story of their lives (with themselves always the hero) and act out of frustration, pain, loneliness and fear. There are some who show hatred towards others because they have labeled them "evil" and justify their own evil acts in the name of chastisement or retribution. Some seek or even create evil in order to be the hero that vanquishes it.

Think about it, if these people felt truly loved in their lives would they have the time and energy for playing hurtful games? I know that every spare moment I have I want to spend with my husband and children and greedily feed from the warmth of their hugs and affection. When not with them I spend as much time as I can deepening my relationship with Spirit. Life is too precious to seethe and plot and victimize or play the victim and for those that do, my heart aches.   

Things that used to drive me nuts with confusion as a kid -phrases like "love thy enemy" and what I viewed as the frustrating passivity of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi- I am just now beginning to understand. To those who I once labeled “evil” I can now look back upon and see that the roads I was forced upon by their acts actually saved me from spiritual destitution. I am full and rich and alive and I appreciate so deeply the love that I have surrounding me because of them. I now call them my Blessings.

If it were not for Blessings like these I know I never would have met my husband, the love of my life. If it were not for these Blessings I would have continued to refuse my road towards Spirit and continued to live my life blindly seeking money and promotion and career success. Those goals I had once held in such high regard are now seen as empty compared to the richness of experience I have now. I had once used the word "evil" because I believe that I had once been a victim and a victim needs some kind of aggressor force to be persecuted by. Now I know that I am surrounded by those who love me and by those Blessings who help me see the love and joy I have more clearly, that help me reach out to Spirit.

It can be quite a challenge at times but it has become a fun activity for my mind, to see something that could be labeled as “evil” and seek out the Blessing hidden beneath.