Evil…

I wanted to write a blog today about something fun, related to summer and light in nature. Over the last few weeks I have been confronted again and again with incidents that are the opposite of fun. I’ve done some soul searching and decided I would tackle the hard stuff this week because it’s had a big impact on how I view the world.

First, let me share that I looked up the definition of “evil” on Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary. It is “morally reprehensible: sinful, wicked”, which I think explains it from both a historical and current time perspective. I also looked up the definition in Cambridge’s online dictionary: “the condition of being immoral, cruel, or bad or an act of this type". My problem with these definitions is that they aren’t strong enough to represent how I think of “evil”. I think we use the word to mean something beyond bad, beyond cruel. I think when we use this word we mean doing or behaving in an unthinkable manner. I’ve always been more comfortable with the thought that bad people can do evil deeds than the idea of someone being evil. By definition, though, bad and evil are being used as synonyms. 

This blog comes because of two specific acts that occurred in the last few weeks, along with over a year and a half of a government ruled by an aspiring dictator and the willingness of so many to support. I feel that not saying anything is cowardly. I apologize if you find the reading a little choppy - I think I’m going to bounce around a bit but I promise I’ll do my best to bring it all together by the end.

Less than a month ago there was a music festival in our province and a young girl, 16 years old, was beaten. A 15-year-old girl has been arrested. That’s bad and unfortunately, not unheard of. Music festivals can be experiences filled with joy and fun, where great music is heard and friendships are made, but they can also be fuelled by alcohol and drugs and, let’s be honest, those elements can produce actions that are less than good. Whatever the reason for the incident, the beating reportedly took place in front of an audience who laughed, cheered and recorded. 

Less than a week ago, in a city where I have family, a young woman climbed a crane and less than eight hours later jumped to her death. I can’t imagine what she was going through to bring her to a point where death was her only option. I can’t imagine what the first responders lived through when, after hours of intervention and negotiation, they watched their efforts fail as she gave up. Awful and heartbreaking and unfortunately, not the first time something like this has happened. On social media came posts about spectators bringing chairs and coolers to watch the action. Children being accompanied by parents to see what was happening. Photos and video being taken. Encouragement to jump. Cheers to the end of a life.

In the section below about what I’m reading this week, I’m going to highlight a book I finished last weekend. It took me months to read. Not because it’s a poorly written book. In fact, it’s very well done. It took me that long because it’s nonfiction and, for me, a difficult topic. When summertime is here I like lighthearted, easy to read, no-need-to-do-a-lot-of-thinking-type books. I can devour them without too much effort. I decided a couple of weeks ago that I should get this particular book finished and, I have. Okay, the book. It’s about The Troubles in Northern Ireland. It focusses on one act - the attempted assassination of Margaret Thatcher in Brighton, England in October, 1984 by the Irish Republican Army. Growing up, I read a lot about Britain’s involvement in Ireland and the creation of the Republic and the six counties of the North that remain in the United Kingdom. I have some sympathy for those who wanted a united Ireland. [As an aside, my grandpa came from England so, while I sympathized with the Catholics of the North, I didn’t hate the English. In fact, I found out my grandpa’s mom was from the North and the family gave up their Catholicism to live and work ‘safely’ in England at a time there was no work in their homeland. They survived by leaving, not only their home but part of their identity.] Anyway, on to the reading of the book, “There Will Be Fire”. I was horrified, not by the passion and desires of the IRA but by their disregard for human life. There is a hatred described in the book that I do not understand and will never. I have a friend who was born and raised in Northern Ireland. She lived through the rerouting of school buses due to bomb threats, etc. I did not have her experiences and I have come to appreciate that my opinions about the situation are not fully informed. This book highlighted it for me in a new way. To hate to the point where you will kill innocents is a form of moral reprehension that I cannot wrap my head around.

Bouncing a little more: I know people who have and will continue to put down our prime minister, not because he’s doing something they don’t like but because of his political party. If he were wearing the colour of their preferred party, they would love him. They won’t agree with that statement but I know it must be true because most of their complaints are based on things that their own party has done or said or would do. Because it is a Liberal doing them now, makes him awful. Here’s where I get really upset (although what I just wrote is upsetting on its own), people love to spread hate-filled messages. Instead of focussing on a policy the putdown is personal. I may not have fully supported our previous prime minister in everything but spending effort to posting about his choice of socks or the way he looked is beyond comprehension for me. It means you don’t want to take the time to see the big picture. You just want to put someone down. Is this evil (probably not) or do messages like this open the door to abhorrent behaviour?

One more book. I love to read and as soon as I finish one book, I pick up another. [It just so happens the book I picked up this week has been siting on my shelf for over two years. It was the book my uncle was reading when he died. The page he was on is still marked.] Before I explain the book, let me tell you that I enjoy reading books that take a moment in history or perhaps a whole period of history and spin a tale around it. I especially enjoy when an author provides their notes at the end so that I know what was real and what was fabricated. I learn about the history behind an event and I often will do a little research of my own, either while I’m reading or immediately after I finish. So, back to the book I picked up. It focusses on a group who exacted “justice” or “vengeance” after World War II. I use both words because it seems there was little “true justice” to be found after the war and perhaps their motivation was driven by that lack. Very few people were tried, not many spent any time in prison and a lot were allowed to flee. Let me be perfectly honest, here. I cannot imagine living through World War II. I do not understand the hatred of people. I cannot comprehend how many people had to support the Nazi leadership in order for the murder of millions to take place. I will never be able to fathom that kind of evil.

So, there’s that word. Evil. My blog has had various levels of bad outlined within it. Can I call the girl who beat another girl “evil”? Or, as I’ve always done, do I replace it with, “she did an evil act”. Do I call all those people who apparently sat and watched a suicide as a spectator sport as “evil”? Do I think of the “regular Germans” who were trying to live while a war raged around them as “evil”? Do I look south of our border and see those who are carrying out the orders of a dictator as “evil”?

I’m starting to think the answer to my questions is often “yes”. There is evil in this world and we’ve allowed it to grow. If I had been at the music festival and come across the girl being beaten what would I have done? I hope I would have called 911 and stepped in to stop it. Would I have been so afraid of violent retribution that I walked away? Oh, I truly hope not. I wasn’t there, though, so can only hope I would have been brave. What would I have done with a person in such distress that people were encouraging her to jump from a crane? I’m pretty comfortable in saying that I would have spoken up. Why the difference? Perhaps because one would be a less dangerous a situation for me. If I know that I would have a different response potentially, doesn’t that make me a coward? My son thinks I spend too much time watching/reading the news. He thinks it makes me hyper-aware of every little deed by that man to the south of us, to the extent that I don’t live my own life. He’s wrong. I do live my life and I try to live it well. Here’s what I see as being extremely important. I cannot hide my head in the sand and pretend it all away. The two incidents (the music festival and the crane) remind me that we are normalizing evil behaviour. When a global leader continuously attacks journalists, individual citizens of the country he is supposed to be serving and he is allowed to continue, that evil is being condoned. 

Evil is comfortable around us. It speaks up every time a racist opens their mouth. It teaches children it’s okay to be a bully. It rationalizes our fears and says it’s okay for us to hate those we don’t understand or who look different than us. 

Okay, this was definitely not a lighthearted, summertime, fun blog. I think it’s necessary, though. Let me tell you some of the ways in which I combat evil. Nature. I’ve been kayaking as much as I can. I bought a kayak last fall and it took me a while to take it out. I’m really new to kayaking and because I have an amazing friend who lives next door and also loves paddling, I’ve been able to grow my confidence in my ability to stay afloat. The water is this amazing place where you can shut off the bad of the world and soak up the good. Loons dipping their beautiful black heads to feed and popping back up in front of you. Boaters out enjoying the weather and waving as they pass you - they don’t know you and yet they share a greeting. Gardening. I love working on my yard and improving it every year. I’ve been doing a lot of weeding and I love the feeling of accomplishment as I tackle each area. Swimming. My pool is my go-to place for peace. There is nothing like an early morning or late night swim. I go in throughout the day when I have time and I soak up the healing powers of the sun at every chance. My first novel. I’ve been working my way through the first set of beta reader feedback and have a meeting with the second beta reader tomorrow. It’s a learning opportunity for me to go through all the stages of writing/creating, editing, getting feedback and doing that needed editing and, hopefully, soon taking on the next step - querying literary agents. Not only do I love the act of writing but I recognize how blessed I am to have support along the way. Family and friends. They are gifts in my life. Whether it’s a game of golf or lunch or a quick text or call, their presence is a reminder that there is good in the world.

My faith is extremely important to me. I don’t think I could live without it. When someone asks me how I can still believe when God “allows” all this evil to exist I remember that we were granted free will. We choose what to believe, what to support, what to think and how to act. We’re the ones responsible for evil behaviour and thoughts. It’s up to us to create a world where evil is not welcome. 

What I’m reading this week
As I said above, I finished the book, “There Will Be Fire”, last weekend. It’s by journalist, Rory Carroll. The research he did is extensive (with references at the end) and the book is incredibly well written. For anyone interested in learning about more recent events in the struggles of Northern Ireland, this is a must read.

Excellent!

One of my bigger weeding projects. Although I thought I did a good job when I installed the white rock, weeds will find a way! The end result of getting this cleaned up has been a smile on my face every time I head outside!

Two girls enjoying a chat with an adoring dog nearby. Different generations, a loving pup and time that stood still. I took the picture without them knowing and I think it shows how we beat evil. We spend time together, learning from each other.

This is on the waterway near to my home. Tranquility and peace.