Evil has plagued society since the beginning of time itself. For this reason alone, I cannot help but think that it must serve a purpose in our world. Maybe we need evil to be able to recognise good; or maybe, given the right circumstances, we’re all hard wired to commit inconceivable acts against humanity. So what stops the great majority of us following this path of destruction, and more significantly places a tiny proportion upon it?

For me, the answer lies in our lived experiences. Although very few of us will remember our first day of school, we can say with near certainty that as we met another child for the very first time we did so with a natural curiosity rather than any animosity. Children don’t judge others based on arbitrary measurements such as race, religion or social class, instead they form their assessment of a person based on the quality of their character. Worryingly, as we grow older, it appears that the opposite is true for a small minority of us. Difference suddenly becomes a dirty word; its beauty is lost amongst a stronghold of beliefs and ideologies so extreme in their nature that a person is willing, by any means necessary, to exert their own views upon others.  

Individuals such as these, who are fuelled by a deep sense of hate and intolerance, experience the world (and all that it has to offer) with a negative mindset. What they fail to realise is that by spending each day in this state of negativity they are depleting all of their energy; holding onto anger is exhausting. These individuals ultimately cheat themselves of living  a full life which may go some way to explaining their reckless behaviour – they are of the view that life is dispensable. 

And then there’s those of us who embrace difference and come to realise a common truth: diversity opens our minds. We grow richer by listening to a story that is different from our own, and this allows us to value the richness of the human condition. We are able to accept and respect views that may differ from our own, and instead of fearing the ‘other’ we quickly realise that we’re not all that different in the first place. 

A repeated lesson that history has taught us is that we can’t fight hate with hate. So maybe evil exists to remind us of this; that instead of playing the perpetrator of hate at their own game, we need to create our own rules. And maybe our rules are this: be brave, be fearless, unite for the greater good , and do not let yourself be deafeated. For when an act of evil is committed, we are brought together and reminded just how resilient the human spirit is.