When Evil is Obvious
Contrary to public opinion, evil is not dramatic and obvious, it is actually rather run of the mill. In his book People of the Lie, M. Scott Peck writes that people who are evil are very ordinary. “There is very little that is dramatic about them. More often than not they are solid citizens.” I would add that people that are evil are often highly placed. This is because they have tremendous confidence based on the fact that they have no conscience to get in their way or give them pause. They are nothing special, but they are just subtle, persistent, and consistent not only in telling lies, but believing them themselves.
I am reminded of Hans Christian Andersen’s story: “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. It was about an emperor that had nothing better to do than to buy clothes, change clothes, and show them off in public. He believed a rather persistent lie: Your wants are your needs. Let’s call that “Lie Number One”.
This weakness on the part of the Emperor caught the attention of some con men. They came to him and told him about a special cloth that they could weave. Persons who were stupid and incompetent could not see it.
That brings us to “Lie Number Two”: Might makes right. In the political world, in the corporate world, in the criminal world, in the world of religion, in your world, this is the operating principle: Do not question the opinions of those who are in power. Might makes right.
The emperor in Andersen’s story gives the con men money, golden thread and a room in the castle so that they can make this splendid cloth. Not only does the emperor like new clothes, but he is also interested in finding out which of his followers are actually stupid and incompetent.
After a time, he asks the Chancellor, considered a man of common sense and ability, if he will look in on the weavers and see how they are doing on this new cloth. The Chancellor goes to the weaver’s room and is shocked to see them working busily at empty looms. He is even more shocked that he, personally, cannot see the cloth they are supposedly making. I’m not stupid or incompetent. Am I? He thinks. But he reports back to the emperor that the cloth is beautiful. He adds a few comments about its color and design. Might makes right. The most important thing is getting a position of power and then hanging on to it no matter what! Do I have to talk about all the ways we believe and act on that lie? I didn’t think so.
The townspeople heard about the Emperor’s new clothes and about how special they were. So, all of the people wanted to see them. They also wanted to know about the competence of their neighbors. The Emperor could not resist the temptation. The con men came into the Emperor’s chambers and pretended to help the emperor into a coat and a pair of trousers. As they did this, everyone talked about how marvelous they looked. But the emperor couldn’t see them.
Oh well, he thought, The only people that will know are those that are stupid and incompetent like me. Let the parade begin!
And so the Emperor walked through the streets of town wearing nothing but a smile. Everyone talked about how wonderful the new clothes were. Lie number three: The crowd, the mob, the majority is always right.
But then a young boy said: “The Emperor has nothing on!” The crowd gasped and the boy’s father took him away. Then there was a moment of silence… and then, laughter! “The Emperor has nothing on!” The chant grew louder and louder as the Emperor hurried back to the castle in his undies.
How do you go up against the great, systemic lies that everyone believes or pretends to believe? The first thing is to remember what you learned in Kindergarten or maybe in Sunday School: a lie is a lie is a lie and liars are not to be trusted. With your mom at the candy counter, you learned that your wants are not your needs. Later you learned that a bully was just a bully, more pitiful than powerful. Might does not make right. As a teenager, sometimes you learned it was best not to go along with the crowd and that they can be very, very wrong.
Evil is ordinary and is based on subtle, persistent, lies. Somehow we forget this. Don’t be misled my children, you know what to do. Why not call those lies and liars out?
