Is the World Becoming More Evil All the Time?
This is Loki making the crowd bow before him.
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy)
It feels like the world is getting worse by the day. Like each day, a new level of evil is revealed. Until we wonder if we’re even safe to leave our homes.
But I was reminded of something this weekend as my husband and I watched The Avengers.
Loki, basically a super-villain with super-powers comes to earth to take it over. He kills without remorse.
Early in the movie, Loki forces a crowd in Germany to kneel before him. He wants humanity to fear him. He wants to rule over them. “You were made to be ruled,” he tells them. “In the end, you will always kneel.”
One old man struggles to his feet. “Not to men like you.”
“There are no men like me,” Loki says in a tone dripping with condescension.
“There are always men like you.”
Like Loki, every new “villain” in our world thinks they’re something new and special.
To weeks ago, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev killed three people and injured 176 more by setting off homemade bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, I’ve heard people talking about how dangerous and evil our world has become. I’d be lying if I claimed I didn’t say it myself. How it feels like you can’t send your children to school, or go to the movies, or attend a major event without wondering if you’ll come home alive.
But the truth is there always have been and always will be men like the brothers who bombed the marathon. The methods might have changed over the years, but they’re the same type of men doing the same type of thing. Spreading fear because it makes them feel more powerful. They’re nothing new.
In the 1940s, men like them sent millions of Jews to gas chambers. During the French Revolution, men like them sent thousands to the guillotine. And in 1200 B.C., parents like them sacrificed their children to the false god Molech by burning them alive.
Evil isn’t anything new.
And in the face of the fact that there always have been and always will be men like them, it can sometimes feel like fighting it is hopeless and we should just hide away where we’ll be safe. It’s a natural human reaction to a threat.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
I think instead of hiding away, we need to do the opposite. When the worst happens, instead of running away, we need to run towards it.
Like Carlos Arredondo who leaped a fence and used his own clothes to help staunch the bleeding of the victims at the Boston Marathon. Like the first responders who rushed into the World Trade Center.
When we cower in fear, evil wins because we let it control how we live our lives. When we continue to fight for what’s still good in the world, continue to find a way to enjoy life and help those less fortunate than ourselves, good wins.
We can’t turn this world into a utopia, but we can keep fighting to make it a place worth living in.
What do you think is the best thing we can do in response to tragedies like the Boston Marathon bombing?
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Apr 29, 2013 @ 11:14:48
Finally, a movie I have seen! I remember that part, but I didn’t see how powerful it was until now. You are very right, and this is something we need to remember at tragic times. We can get so caught up in the talk of things getting worse, and the truth is that horrific tragedies have always happened. And we can’t control what happens, but we can control how we respond. We should be like that old man. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
Apr 29, 2013 @ 11:48:14
I’m glad I chose one you’ve seen 🙂
I had to write this post as much for me as for anyone. I needed the reminder that living my life in fear of what someone else might do isn’t really living. Technology may have changed, but the people behind it have remained the same. The biggest difference is that now we live in a global community where we can hear immediately about the tragedies around the world. Before, if you didn’t live near the community hit by something terrible, you wouldn’t hear about it until months later, if ever.
Apr 29, 2013 @ 11:55:57
Beautiful post, Marcy. A llot of this reminds me of this tearjerking comment Patton Oswalt wrote the day it happened (a somewhat similar message, though considerably more vulgar :-)): https://m.facebook.com/pattonoswalt/posts/10151440800582655
Apr 29, 2013 @ 12:41:47
The most important thing we can do is love, and live positively and peacefully. I don’t mean that in an airy-fairy way. I mean choose to love unconditionally, choose to live positively, and choose to live peacefully. They require intention and effort.
Don’t buy into the sensationalized drama that is the news, and don’t allow yourself to get mired in the quicksand that is negativity.
Recognize that in our media-centric world, “hear no evil” and “see no evil” are next to impossible unless you live on an uninhabited island. Recognize that evil exists, but don’t give it your energy.
Peace.
Apr 30, 2013 @ 12:13:34
Great post, Marcy. I am in full agreement with Ellen Gregg here. Let’s give our energy to the heroes who always show up at these times. Look to the helpers who instinctively leap in to help others, these are the news worthy people and they always outnumber the evil-doers.
Apr 30, 2013 @ 14:26:44
“. . . there always have been and always will be men like them . . .” So true! It is a fault of youth to think that evil is all in the past. That the best world sprang fully formed along with us the day we were born. We judge the events and people of the past and say, “We would never do that,” but we do “that” every day. Nothing is happening that hasn’t happened somewhere on the planet a million times over, both good and bad. Nothing is happening that won’t be happening tomorrow. All we can really do is be the best people we can be each day and try to keep our own corner of the world a space of beauty so that we have enough to share. Thank you for your thoughtful post.
May 03, 2013 @ 16:37:59
Interesting topic and one that rears its head every now and then around our evening meal. My take is that the main reason why it seems there’s more evil in the world is because we have the ability to know about it from pretty much anywhere on the planet. I get the feeling that idiots like those responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing do it partly due to massive influence by those with evil intent, not to mention the ease of notoriety that can be gained by creating such chaos.
How to stop such things? Maybe if the world’s media stop broadcasting every last gory detail, those planning similar attacks will lose interest with no audience to show off to.
May 03, 2013 @ 22:33:34
I’ve frequently thought the same thing and even read the same opinion (though I can’t remember where now) from a psychologist (I believe). He said that part of the reason we have copycats, mimics, and people who do things like this is because we give them their 15 minutes of fame. The media talks about how much skill or planning or intelligence it took to pull off such a crime. Even the manhunts are recorded in such detail that it becomes almost entertainment.
May 04, 2013 @ 06:12:33
Marcy,
I feel that we would benefit from looking more deeply…into the motivations that drive people to acts like this, acts with an utter disregard for other lives, and also more deeply into ourselves.
I’ve come to believe that most of us are broken in some way, and many people do things they don’t fully understand in reaction to the broken places within themselves. Greed and violence seem to be symptoms of deeper pains.
Happy, fulfilled people don’t tend to be attempting to usurp, harm, or control anyone.
My goal is to become as happy and fulfilled as I can, and to help others to find what fulfills them. And not to feed hurtful energies by giving them more of my attention than necessary…and to speak my truth. As a former abused child, I know what can come of a conspiracy of silence.
I’m not perfect, and I know I am only one person, but it is what I can do, and it keeps me from feeling powerless.
Right now, I am listening to my husband breathing in his sleep, and the children giggling together in the next room, and all is well with my world. I am going to hold to that. <3
May 04, 2013 @ 12:15:09
Beautifully put. And I think you’re a testament to the fact that we all makes choices about how we handle our brokenness. Despite being an abused child, you now have a husband and happy children, and have chosen to make a good life for yourself, full of kindness.
Sep 20, 2013 @ 16:19:28
The worst evil of the world isnt so obvious. All of the vanity, materialism, disregard for others, and the many oterh wicked things that are being sewn into culture. They are the things having the biggest impact on our race. People are getting seduced by all forms of entertainment to act like fools. Such a spiritless, material existence. Death might be better.
Dec 22, 2013 @ 06:13:18
This has been prophesied for over a thousand years and unfortunately it must occur. It is a real shame though that there are so many these days who ignore the teachings of their parents and their forefathers. It seems that Narcissism, Greed, Lust, Depravity and Anti-Social behaviour has become the things that the younger generation are addicted to. It is Political Correctness, Politicians, Judges and of course Hollywood that are planting these seeds in the garden. Soon the once beautiful garden will be a bed of weeds.
It is up to those who not only speak about doing the Right things, but do the Right things to start acting and working to remove the weeds from the garden. We shall all be Judged by our works! A friend of mine and myself are in the process of writing 2 Novels which will be discussing these issues and these Novels shall be based on factual evidence. We do not think that they will be published however, because once read the readers may Wake Up and we do not think that the satanic hierarchy will permit that. Here is another thought to consider – Santa? Hmmm.. Move the ‘n’ 2 places to the right and what do you get? Satan. These days when people celebrate Christmas, they have no thought for the real meaning of Christmas. To finish this reply though, I will clearly answer your question.
Yes! The population of this world is definitely becoming more Evil.
Sep 17, 2014 @ 21:39:16
The question of whether the world is becoming more evil or not is certainly interesting. To answer it, we should think of metrics. How about infant mortality rate? Average number of school years per person? Worldwide production of fairtrade chocolate? Percent of the world population experiencing a war? Number of songs listened to, works of art looked at, or books read? Smiles vs tears?
Not all of this is measurable, but statistics exist for a surprising amount of metrics… And most of them are steadily improving. But don’t believe me; go research yourself!
Finally, do ask: what would be the best period in history to have lived in? What year would you prefer to be born in. Personally, I’m quite happy with 1985 🙂