THE ROOT OF CONFLICT OVERCOMING EVIL THROUGH PEACE CONSCIOUSNESS

The question of evil can crop up almost anytime, but it becomes pressing when war, with its mass violence and atrocities, fills the news. Violence comes in many other forms—destructiveness, oppression, and victimization—so settling the questions about evil needs to be addressed.

Evil manifests in the world through actions, and although an evil act is almost always associated with violence, we need to look deeper. Having bad thoughts, bursting out in anger, and saying “I could kill you” fall short of an evil act. To truly address evil, we must trace the evil act back to its root: the evil thought. Answering this question—where do evil thoughts come from— is the only way to heal the problem, not just treat the symptom. Let me present the view that evil is a learned behavior. No one is born evil, and there is no cosmic satanic force that destines human beings to be evil.

THE FACTORS OF LEARNED BEHAVIOR

A learned behavior that leads to extreme violence or wrongdoing is rooted in these psychological and environmental factors, which also drive neutral or even good actions:

• Upbringing and the morality a child absorbs
• Social pressure & conditioning
• Lack of self-awareness
• Poor impulse control
• Anger and the potential for violence
• Inner conflict
• The presence or absence of fear
• Unconscious, irrational impulses

Human nature isn’t inherently evil, but if these factors take a wrong turn in someone’s life—or the life of an entire society—evil gains a toehold. A child who witnesses domestic violence is more likely to commit domestic violence later in life. A society rife with prejudice, bigotry, and us-versus-them thinking will justify its violence, turning evil into something necessary and even morally right. We speak of “good” wars to justify mass killing and destruction, which turns into a self-perpetuating cycle since the enemy also believes it is fighting a good war.

FREE WILL AND INHERENT GOODNESS

The multiple, conflicted factors that create our learned behavior are the price we pay for free will. There is no getting around the fact that human beings are inherently conflicted—negative impulses inside us are at war with their opposites. A lobotomized human being who is incapable of violence violates the human capacity to be free. The fact that the vast majority of people choose socially responsible behavior, however, shows that free will favors good.

The factors that create our learned behavior tend, to a huge degree, toward good. As a species we care for the weak and sick; offer kindness and charity, and raise our children to be good. As a reminder against gloom and pessimism, humans act on our inherent goodness in countless ways.

Many futurists are optimists, foreseeing a world that has the capacity to end war, disease, and poverty. The rationale behind such predictions depends on technology improving life. However, the technology behind nuclear and biochemical weapons underscores that science is morally neutral, independent of human intentions. Hating the atom bomb didn’t prevent two nations from building planetthreatening nuclear stockpiles.

THE PATH TO PEACE CONSCIOUSNESS

Once you understand the multiple factors that lead to evil actions, the only question remaining is: What is to be done?

1. First comes empathy—no one is immune from inner conflict, fear, and anger.
2. Second comes self-awareness. To know why wars start, look inside yourself— external conflicts are the projection of inner conflicts.
3. Third is to develop your own humanity by living from a deeper source in consciousness.

If you consciously do those three things, you will become a unit of peace consciousness, which is the greatest contribution any single individual can make to counter evil.

Against the capacity for evil, we all possess the capacity to live in peace consciousness. This isn’t a futile strategy. Peace consciousness has risen to dominate people’s worldview everywhere. The invasion of Ukraine is almost universally condemned as a regression to behavior that was once considered normal (following the belief that might makes right). The outrage over such aggression is paired with incredulity that a country could resort to atavistic behavior that the rest of the world is quickly evolving past and leaving behind. The use of economic sanctions instead of all-out war against the aggressor is another sign that violence is no longer the default response of nations.

The expansion of awareness allows the factors listed above to be reversed. When someone repeats self-defeating axioms (Life is unfair, No one ever changes, Everyone has his price, etc.) —don’t credit these as the truth. They are a perspective that closes the door on the expansion of awareness, which is the worst kind of self-defeat.

Blaming others is the surest way to slam the door on our self-knowledge. Every time we pin the label of ‘evil’ on another, we fail to take responsibility for our own share of anger, fear, and inner conflict. In many ways, the futurists who are optimistic have truth on their side, but it won’t emerge as a redeeming quality until we turn inward. Evil is the worst symptom of a closed mind, and the way to find healing is to open your mind and keep it open.

Deepak Chopra, The writer is MD, FACP, FRCP founder of the Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global