Thought 55: This world has evil

Every one agrees that there is evil in this world. But, have you ever reflected on “where this evil resides?” It is not in the buildings and the roads. Neither is it in the mountains and the rivers. It is not also in the earth and the sky. It is not in the plant world or the animal kingdom. Some of the animals like a tiger, for instance, may appear cruel and therefore, evil. Actually, there is no evil in a tiger. It has been programmed to pounce and kill in the same way that a gentle cow has been programmed to say “Amba” and give milk. Thus, although the tiger may appear dangerous and cruel, it has no evil in it. It only knows how to pounce and kill; it does not know any other way of interacting with man or beast; it has been created this way.

Take another instance, such as a snake like a cobra; the cobra bites; it is its nature to bite; The cobra may be frightening and dangerous, but it has no evil in it; it does not know that it is wrong to bite; it as been created that way. The nature of a pet dog is to bark at strangers and lick the face of the master at every opportunity. Thus, the good Lord, in his infinite wisdom, created certain animals to be cruel - and others to be gentle. But the cruel animals do not have evil in them.

Thus, if evil is not in the animals, if it is not in the trees, if it is not in the earth, if it is not in the sky and if it also is not in the mountains and the rivers, where is it then? All the evil there is in the world is in the mind of Man! Man, in general, is an evil creature. Every human mind has evil in it.

Considering from another point of view, have you ever heard of a tiger killing another tiger; it never does; a tiger never kills another tiger. Similarly, an elephant never kills another elephant. That is because there is no evil in wild animals like a tiger or an elephant. But man kills another man. Actually, man kills not only man, but every other creature also on earth. Therefore, all the evil there is in this world is only in the mind of man.

Because of this evil in his mind, man destroys everything that God has created; he destroys the trust and confidence of people; he destroys the good relations between man and man - and also between nation and nation; he destroys all the good things – such as the natural environment around him; he destroys even big and mighty companies such as Satyam; he destroys the mighty institutions such as world trade center, built painstakingly over a long period of time by the pioneers of this world; he even destroys other men through terrorism. Therefore, beware of Man; he is the most dangerous creature in the world; he is even more dangerous than a tiger, than a snake; than any other animal - because he carries exclusively in his mind all the evil there is in this world.

How does this evil look? Has it any form? Yes, it has a form; rather, it has several forms - and these forms are greed, hatred, attachment, jealousy, selfishness, arrogance, prejudice, etc. These are the evils that make this world an unhappy place to live in, not only for the animal kingdom and the plant life – but also for man himself.

The next thought is about “The reason why religions recommend righteous living (Dhaarmic life)”