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. It is a perversion of their human nature usually caused by early childhood limiting decisions that cause them to believe they can’t have what truly matters to them (such as love, empowerment, value).
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.
If you deliberately hurt others, you have to separate yourself from them in order to not feel the pain of what you have done. 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 them. 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. “the 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. These dogmas teach that the nature of human beings is inherently weak and sinful, subject to these evil forces which cause them to behave in sinful ways.
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.
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 Counselor, and an NLP & TimeLine Master Practitioner and Hypnotherapist, with a private practice in California. She does individual counseling with adults and adolescents (includes the NLP TimeLine Process and hypnosis), and works with couples, families and other relationships. She is also the Founder of the “Life is Designed to Work” thought system. Her book “Your Life Is Designed to Work: A Psychological and Spiritual Guide” can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578962314 .
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 (619) 203-4412.
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