A Psychological Perspective
One way to define an evil person is someone who enjoys hurting others. I don’t believe this is a fixed state that defines who that person is on a soul level.
When a person does something harmful to others, it is because they are trying to fulfill a substitute desire, not a true desire. What they truly want is to feel, for example, empowered, loved, respected, smart, successful, that they matter, good enough, connected to others.
For example, being harmful to others can be a way for a person to feel a connection with others, when he/she believes positive, fulfilling connection is not possible. (It is not uncommon for a child who can’t get love from their parents to settle for any kind of connection even if it is negative.)
On a soul level, hurting others would eventually be painful to the person doing the hurting, as we are all connected. When we are connected to others we feel what they feel. We are empathic.
If you deliberately hurt others, you have to separate yourself from them in order to not feel the pain of what you have done. Or maybe you cause pain because you feel disconnected in order to get a perverted sense of connection. Since a basic human need is to feel connected with others, eventually (in this lifetime or some other one), in order to again feel connected to others, each soul has to feel the pain they caused others. Perhaps that pain is what defines Hell. You feel it until you acknowledge the pain, feel the pain of it and cross back over to reaching out to the person in some form of love.
A Sociological Perspective
A psychological perspective on evil defines it based on the person who is seen as the source of it — i. e. “an evil person.” A sociological perspective defines evil based on how it affects us. It is fueled by fear and superstition.
Religious dogmas come from a sociological perspective. Most religious dogmas are based on the view that good and evil are fundamental forces that are at odds with each other and are competing for our souls. They view evil as a supernatural force or entity. This holds in place a reality framework in which people can be at the mercy of some powerful, negative force outside themselves. I see this as an easy, but disempowered, attempt to deal with a much more complex issue. It provides no real solution.
From my perspective, what is actually true is much more empowering and requires much more personal responsibility. Each of us has the power to determine the direction our life goes in, not some force outside us. It is what we choose to orient our lives around, moment-by-moment, that determines the life path we are on, the reality we live in. To the degree we orient ourselves around underlying Universal Foundations, such as Life, Truth, Love, Inspiration, Intelligence, and Principle — life is positive and moves us forward. To the degree we don’t, it won’t.
However — it is also true that we, as human souls, can only survive physically, emotionally, and spiritually if we go toward what meets our fundamental needs on those levels. For example: On the physical level, we need to eat and have safe shelter; on the emotional level we need love and connection; on the spiritual level we need to align ourselves with Universal Foundations (Life, Truth, Love, Inspiration, Intelligence, and Principle.)
Universal Foundations describe the bottom-line reality of what actually exists, what truly matters, and what supports the existence of life. They are what our very existence is based on. For that reason, they determine the direction each soul ultimately goes in, regardless of the difficulties, wrong turns, and challenges on its way. This is what ultimately motivates us to evolve toward our true, Divine selves.
This is how I know that life is designed to work. It is built into the very fabric of our being.
Author’s Bio: Jane Ilene Cohen, Ph.D. is an Intuitive & Transformational NLP Counselor, and an NLP & TimeLine Master Practitioner and Hypnotherapist, with a private practice in San Diego. She does individual counseling with adults and adults (includes the NLP TimeLine Process and hypnosis), works with couples, families and other relationships. She is also the Founder of the “Life is Designed to Work” thought system.
For more about Dr. Cohen’s counseling services, go to: JaneCohenCounseling.com . For a free phone consultation to decide if this is right for you, or to make an appointment, call Dr. Cohen at (760) 753-0733
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