On the Nature of Evil by Jorge Reyes

How does one know what evil truly is? Without good, humanity cannot compare evil to

anything. It is almost as if good creates evil. If good creates evil then how are we better than

those who do evil. Without evil, good cannot exist and without good, evil cannot exist. This is

because if we do not have anything to compare good to then we do not know what good truly is.

The same goes with evil. Evil is also created by the use of good. A ruler may want to do good for

his people, but there will always be a person who will disagree no matter how strong the ruler

appears. This disagreement will spark hate causing an atmosphere of evil to be created because

the ruler wanted to do something good. This can be placed in a real life situation today.

In the story “Teen Wasteland” by Anne Tyler, the mother seems to be controlling of the

son. She doesn’t let him to what he wants to do. She believes that she is protecting him. This

makes the son feel hurt and sparks anger, a feeling of hate towards his mother. This hate shows

that even families can be broken. It shows that evil is strong and that it can overpower even some

of the strongest loves.

Then again evil isn’t so overwhelming. But the instinct of survival is enough to

overwhelm the strongest of mind, body and soul. The instinct to hunt and to fight is so

overwhelming that in the book the Lord of the Flies, children which are considered the most

innocent of humanity fall under the temptation. They are succumbed to the power of evil and fall

in its clutches. This evil makes them go crazy for bloodlust and they begin to hunt. Three

individuals disagree with this craziness. Two of them are killed and the third is hunted down, but

he is lucky and escapes. At the end of the book they meet a naval officer, who is surprised at

what they had done on the island. The children then remorse over what they had done. Evil is

able to destroy the greatest and the worst of civilizations.

 Evil is also present in our emotions and actions. In the poem “Fire and Ice” by Robert

Frost, the unknown narrator answers a question that is wondered by all: Would you rather burn

to death or freeze to death? He also answers the question: Will the world end in fire or in ice? He

says that either will suffice because the passion or desire and the hate will be enough to consume

humanity and throw it into a world of chaos. This can also be seen in the poem “The Second

Coming” by Yeats. In this poem, the good of heart, those who are pure will become part of the

chaos when the world ends and those who are pure evil and have hatred in their heart will laugh

and be happy as the world is destroyed by those who are good.

Where does hate come from? Hate one of the most dangerous and strongest emotions that

leads up the acts of evil does not just spring up naturally. Our past is what defines our future. .

We as humans live in the present. Hate comes from the darkest of trials, the purest of tears and

the greater of pains both physically and mentally. So how does one truly live in a world of hate?

Our world is similar to a dystopia full of sorrow. Our lives are defined by only two things, pain

and death. Happiness and love, they are not true feelings. We can only feel imitations of love and

happiness. How can there be happiness in a world where hate dominates. It is almost like asking

who enjoys seeing those who they love in pain. This can happen though. The person who enjoys

the pain is too self-centered that they wouldn’t care if their loved ones were burning in the pits of

hell.