Outrage and rejection are natural responses in the face of greed, injustice and cruelty. But can we truly stand up for Good, without first understanding (while not condoning) Evil?
A very touching story, Alis, and thank you for the book references!
"This is not a fight between Good and Evil - it’s a struggle to define how we choose to live as human beings and which aspects of our nature should inform our day-to-day actions. It’s ultimately a struggle to define who we want to be - individually and collectively."
I am reminded at so many epochs of history where human groups have redefined how they(we) chose to live-- the Agricultural revolution/Axial age, the Rennaissance, the post-modern revolution of the 60's... in the West anyway. And a common element is the crisis, before the catharsis, and a conscious effort of the few who choose to evolve a better way to see the world and to show up in it.
And why vertical development is so important -- it's our way of consciously harnessing this capacity for transformation and evolution.
Marc Gafni often says "evil is a failure of intimacy." We live in an intimate universe that is whole and interconnected, and when one part of that universe separates from the rest and claims to be the whole, there is a failure of intimacy--- there is evil.
May we see ourselves in the "other" and discover our unique response to these challenging times.
Well written Alis! What you wrote lies at the heart of the Tao, the interplay of Yin and Yang. Recently there is a Chinese movie Nezha 2. In the movie, the good and evil are intricately woven in each character. The main character, Nezha, is a boy incarnated from an "evil pill", a powerful bundle of destructive powers. Yet out of the love of family, and self-determination, he eventually transforms evil cast upon him into true life-giving power. At the same time, a previously acclaimed "immortal" was an evil in disguise.
I have also had similar experience of seeing the dark side of a previously held belief of goodness ... and piercing into the my "inner tyrant".
I also would like to recommend a post of similar sentiment, written by a friend of mine. We are a part of a "citizen initiative" group passionate about discovering the art of bringing people together across socio-political divides to connect and heal- from the inside-out! https://amalimorningsong.substack.com/p/the-revolution-is-within-you
Thank you for such precious insights and recommendations, Spring Cheng! I'll get on reading Amali's post! I'd love to watch that movie too - just realised it's playing at our local cinema now.
It's a romance-fantasy story - the books are connected - it's one long narrative arch over 5 books. Unless you enjoy the genre, I'm not sure it's worth reading the whole series just for that philosophical Goddess tale, but if you do, it's a fun story.
The idea that evil comes from the moral choice to prioritize self-interest over duty resonates, and I can’t help but feel that the tendency to make this choice is inversely proportional to the depth of real love that a person has experienced. Love aligns self-interest and duty, because your happiness becomes my happiness, and I can be exalted in your triumphs.
All of my personal vertical development can be tied to transformations that came from getting to know a deeper love. Funny when personal reflection arrives someplace so familiar and you realize that this wisdom is everywhere if only we could hear it.
Annie, I had not explicitly thought of love as a developmental force in and of itself, but this makes so much sense! I find it quite profound and thought-provoking - this movement to an ever deeper love - thank you!
Beautiful humanising story Alis. It's way too easy to otherise and externalise our pain. Our human condition is complex filled with ego booby traps to take us deeper into darkness. So much effort is required to remain connected to our humanity despite the lures to hijack our emotions. A much needed reminder. Thank you!
Thank you Alis for sharing this deep perspective...I resonate a lot with the wisdom you so well articulated.
It happens two days back while visiting Rome to take a picture of Colosseum and share it on social media with the following message, which I believe is inherited in your article:
"Human Being Manifestations: An architectural masterpiece on the outside. A moral abyss that happened inside.
It is our choice how we Manifest ourselves today!"
A very touching story, Alis, and thank you for the book references!
"This is not a fight between Good and Evil - it’s a struggle to define how we choose to live as human beings and which aspects of our nature should inform our day-to-day actions. It’s ultimately a struggle to define who we want to be - individually and collectively."
I am reminded at so many epochs of history where human groups have redefined how they(we) chose to live-- the Agricultural revolution/Axial age, the Rennaissance, the post-modern revolution of the 60's... in the West anyway. And a common element is the crisis, before the catharsis, and a conscious effort of the few who choose to evolve a better way to see the world and to show up in it.
And why vertical development is so important -- it's our way of consciously harnessing this capacity for transformation and evolution.
Marc Gafni often says "evil is a failure of intimacy." We live in an intimate universe that is whole and interconnected, and when one part of that universe separates from the rest and claims to be the whole, there is a failure of intimacy--- there is evil.
May we see ourselves in the "other" and discover our unique response to these challenging times.
Well written Alis! What you wrote lies at the heart of the Tao, the interplay of Yin and Yang. Recently there is a Chinese movie Nezha 2. In the movie, the good and evil are intricately woven in each character. The main character, Nezha, is a boy incarnated from an "evil pill", a powerful bundle of destructive powers. Yet out of the love of family, and self-determination, he eventually transforms evil cast upon him into true life-giving power. At the same time, a previously acclaimed "immortal" was an evil in disguise.
I have also had similar experience of seeing the dark side of a previously held belief of goodness ... and piercing into the my "inner tyrant".
I also would like to recommend a post of similar sentiment, written by a friend of mine. We are a part of a "citizen initiative" group passionate about discovering the art of bringing people together across socio-political divides to connect and heal- from the inside-out! https://amalimorningsong.substack.com/p/the-revolution-is-within-you
Appreciating your work!
Thank you for such precious insights and recommendations, Spring Cheng! I'll get on reading Amali's post! I'd love to watch that movie too - just realised it's playing at our local cinema now.
Hi Alis, which one of the Fae Isles series (5 of them) contains the story you told? I would like to check that out. Thanks!
That story is in book 3
Do you need to read 1 and 2 before reading 3? Are the stories sequential?
It's a romance-fantasy story - the books are connected - it's one long narrative arch over 5 books. Unless you enjoy the genre, I'm not sure it's worth reading the whole series just for that philosophical Goddess tale, but if you do, it's a fun story.
The idea that evil comes from the moral choice to prioritize self-interest over duty resonates, and I can’t help but feel that the tendency to make this choice is inversely proportional to the depth of real love that a person has experienced. Love aligns self-interest and duty, because your happiness becomes my happiness, and I can be exalted in your triumphs.
All of my personal vertical development can be tied to transformations that came from getting to know a deeper love. Funny when personal reflection arrives someplace so familiar and you realize that this wisdom is everywhere if only we could hear it.
There is hope.
Annie, I had not explicitly thought of love as a developmental force in and of itself, but this makes so much sense! I find it quite profound and thought-provoking - this movement to an ever deeper love - thank you!
A wonderful piece Alis, thank you for sharing it. We all need to get in touch with our own inner tyrant!
The story reminded me of a quote I love from Iain Mc Gilchrist's book 'The Matter with Things':
'The goodness of love can embrace its opposite, the evil of hate can not.'
It takes love to make the effort to understand what happened to people so we can understand them and be compassionate.
That is so true, Nial!
Beautiful humanising story Alis. It's way too easy to otherise and externalise our pain. Our human condition is complex filled with ego booby traps to take us deeper into darkness. So much effort is required to remain connected to our humanity despite the lures to hijack our emotions. A much needed reminder. Thank you!
I love the “ego booby traps” imagery, Nathalie! So so true!
Thank you Alis for sharing this deep perspective...I resonate a lot with the wisdom you so well articulated.
It happens two days back while visiting Rome to take a picture of Colosseum and share it on social media with the following message, which I believe is inherited in your article:
"Human Being Manifestations: An architectural masterpiece on the outside. A moral abyss that happened inside.
It is our choice how we Manifest ourselves today!"