Last week I wrote the following:

"(I believe) as individuals, we have the free will to choose which direction we stretch. (I believe) each individual choice toward Exoteric Goodness does not require an equal stretching toward its opposite, (intentional or unintentional malevolence), either by the individual or as a balancing of the whole; ('the whole' being all of humanity). (I believe) as a whole if we stretch toward Goodness, we will move the midpoint in that direction, thus maintaining balance, and changing interpretations. In this manner (I believe) we can eliminate some malevolence."

This week I want to think about malevolence, and determine if I really do believe we can eliminate some malevolence by adding Goodness. Or, if added Goodness simply creates new/different malevolence that we may not (yet) recognize as such, thus maintaining the original balance.

First, a definition for malevolence: actions, occurrences, or events that cause harm or injury to one's everyday (lower-case) happiness, or to one's search for (upper-case) Happiness. Malevolence can have unforeseen, lingering effects. I have previously defined lower-case happiness as everyday cheer and satisfaction, and upper-case Happiness as one's Lifelong search for unattainable Truth and Wisdom. If one's lower-case happiness is consistently thwarted, stunted, or non-existent this impacts upper-case Happiness.

Malevolence may come about as a result of (1) Purposeful Malice, (2) Ignorance (2a. Intentionally Oblivious Ignorance, 2b. Unintentionally Oblivious Ignorance, or 2c. Actively Acknowledged Ignorance), or (3) Acts of Nature, Lady Fortune, or God (depending upon your personal belief).

I would like to think that Purposeful Malice is rare, and limited to sociopaths or psychopaths. I would like to think that all other malevolence that originates from an individual or group of individuals is a function or result of free will choices that involve some aspect/degree of Ignorance and thereby potentially avoidable or mitigated by making better choices - choices that stretch us toward Exoteric Goodness.

I have in previous posts ('here' and 'here') divided Ignorance into two parts - Oblivious Ignorance and Acknowledged Ignorance. Here I am further dividing Oblivious Ignorance into that which is intentional and that which is unintentional; (the intention or lack of intention, of course, then carries over to the resulting malevolence).

Intentional Oblivious Ignorance that results in malevolence comes from those who truly know the potential result of their actions but drive ahead regardless, due to an individual or group agenda, an ego high on power and/or control, or other selfish justifications characterized by a 'greater good' mindset; (often believing the 'greater good' equates with 'what's best for ME'). Some would say that Intentional Oblivious Ignorance is very close to or (in some cases) the same as Purposeful Malice.

Unintentional Oblivious Ignorance that results in malevolence comes from those who truly do not understand the potential result or seriousness of their actions. These individuals do not understand for varying reasons, including but not limited to immaturity (bullying is an example), insecurity (that can lead to groupthink and defensiveness), narcissism, apathy, a subpar work ethic, a lack of critical thinking skills, illogic, excessive emotion, or any combination of these (and other) characteristics that then potentially exacerbate one another creating a multi-headed megalomaniac (often unknowingly) spewing malevolence in all directions.

Sometimes it is difficult to determine if an individual's Oblivious Ignorance is intentional or unintentional; especially when they are of the multi-headed variety. Sometimes (as the spewer) we learn and grow and understand, and then it becomes intentional; and not only too late for most of the already-spewed malevolence, but also very difficult to create new habits.

Typically a group agenda that results in malevolence requires one or more group members to be intentionally oblivious but many (and in some cases, most) group members may remain unintentionally oblivious. Indoctrination and zealotry can give one a sense of belonging, and those who are knowingly, intentionally oblivious take advantage.

In the aforementioned previous posts I identified acknowledged ignorance as preferable to oblivious ignorance. Here I am adding a qualifier to encourage actively acknowledged ignorance. If you know you don't know and ignore that fact, this creates some overlap between acknowledged ignorance and oblivious ignorance, thus potentially magnifying the impact of the resulting malevolence. Even actively acknowledged ignorance can result in malevolence in some circumstances, but due to the openness and compassion inherent in the active acknowledgment, the resulting malevolence is often mitigated in both seriousness and perseverance. I could provide examples, but logic dictates that if an individual is not certain of the 'best' course of action, mistakes are made and malevolence may result; and uncertainty is (or should be) a cornerstone of one's humanity.

This leaves acts, occurrences, or events whose origins are unidentifiable and result in malevolence. Be it nature, bad luck, or God it often seems we have no control over some circumstance. I would first challenge one to examine the circumstance (and one's personal actions leading to the circumstance) carefully to ensure that 'bad luck' is not (at least partially) one's own doing. Upon examination one should not regret or be too harsh, but we should learn and grow from the experience. If it is truly an unforeseen, (seemingly) uncaused or random event, such as a tornado or brand new brakes failing, it feels our only option is still to learn and grow from the experience; and most importantly, in either case, move on.

And now the big question - Can we eliminate some malevolence by adding Goodness, or does added Goodness simply create a new/different malevolence that we may not (yet) recognize as such, thus maintaining the original balance? An example - many people have benefited from antibiotics but there is some research that claims that antibiotics also kill good bacteria thereby potentially causing obesity, heart disease, and even cancer. An added Goodness (antibiotics) has potentially created some unforeseen, unintentional malevolence. Yet our average lifespan has increased partially due to the Goodness created by the antibiotic; but so (it seems) has our suffering. So we have to judge - did the midpoint slide (even slightly) toward Goodness, or is it an even trade? And if in this case it is deemed an even trade, is this the case every time? I would like to argue that it is not. Technology, for example, has provided ways to forewarn us of impending disasters such as hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, etc., thus saving lives. Technology has also built safer automobiles, again saving lives. But it was also that same (simpler, earlier) technology that has brought us to today where we lose (on average, in this country) 100 lives per day in auto crashes. And one could argue that the lives saved from hurricanes (or car crashes) go on to contribute to overpopulation, joblessness, and homelessness. Again, are these even trades, or are we slowly sliding toward greater Goodness?

It is a matter of perspective.

Is there a 'grand' balancing to ensure that the midpoint between Goodness and Malevolence remains stable and set? Ultimately, I am uncertain. Uncertainty is a cornerstone of Humanity. But, I still believe, as individuals we have the free will to choose which direction we stretch. And as long as that is true, I will choose to stretch toward (my understanding of) Exoteric Goodness. I will continue to act as if we will move the midpoint in that direction, thus maintaining balance, changing interpretations, and eliminating some malevolence. I am confident it will not hurt the big picture, and I feel it may help. And no one will convince me that I do not have the power to choose as I please.