Why Is ‘Evil’ Much More Contagious Than ‘Good’?

Throughout human history, the most pressing unanswered question — aside from ‘What happens after death?’ — is probably the one in the headline above: Why is ‘evil’ much more contagious than ‘good’?

Philosophers philosophize about it and psychologists plumb our deepest, darkest emotions seeking answers. Meanwhile, dedicated capitalists insist that “greed is good” and Christians ascribe human evil to our fallen state of ‘original sin.’

In a sense, the mystery of ‘evil’ being far more contagious than ‘good’ is THE overriding problem facing humanity. It’s the most basic and essential problem facing every human society and culture — since one of the main purposes of human societies is to keep the peace, make life more pleasant and cooperative, and help their citizens learn, grow, and become mature social participants.

Yet evil tends to undermine or outright destroy all these crucial ‘social goods’: it foments hatred and war, makes life more violent and UNpleasant, and often prevents people from learning, cooperating, and maturing in peace (or at all).

Given these harsh, painful realities, it truly IS a mystery that so many people still choose evil and choose to wreck their families, communities, and societies. Or… is it actually a ‘choice’ at all? Is there really such a thing as ‘free will’? That vital question is, itself, one of the larger questions surrounding the weird contagiousness of ‘evil.’

What IS ‘evil’?

Before proceeding further, it’s important to (tentatively) define the terms ‘evil’ and ‘good.’ One of the best definitions of evil I’ve found comes from psychiatrist M. Scott Peck, who says the primary characteristic of evil is the desire to withhold caring and nurturance from others, and instead seek to overpower or destroy their freedom or well-being. According to Dr. Peck, evil manifests as the unwillingness to allow or assist others’ self-determination — and instead of helping others grow and thrive, it deliberately does the exact opposite.

In fact, Dr. Peck says this:

“Evil people hate the light because it reveals themselves to themselves. They hate goodness because it reveals their badness. They will destroy the light, the goodness, the love in order to avoid the pain of self-awareness.”

This description fits what I’ve seen in my seven decades on this planet and my experience as a psychological counselor/therapist. I find the ‘avoidance of self-awareness’ issue the most compelling and dangerous, since it’s common knowledge among therapists that it’s only possible to help someone who wants to be helped and is open to healing.

Sadly, evil people invariably refuse help and resist and avoid it like the plague. As Peck puts it, “They will destroy the light, the goodness, the love in order to avoid the pain of self-awareness.” So for our purposes, we can simply say that ‘evil’ combines the total avoidance of self-awareness and the strong, self-centered desire to oppress, hurt, or destroy others and their autonomy.

What is ‘good’?

Now, for a brief definition of ‘good.’ My personal definition revolves around the intentional cultivation of openness and interpersonal response-ability and the desire to embody empathy, compassion, respect, and love and treat others ‘as you wish to be treated.’ To me, ‘goodness’ must revolve around personal and interpersonal awareness and caring, and seeks to support and empower others rather than limit or destroy them.

In addition, being ‘good’ requires the inner strength of character to resist the siren songs of greed, lust, sloth, envy, hatred, and other ‘deadly sins.’

Of course, it’s difficult to truly ‘define’ and pin down ‘good’ and ‘evil’ — but here I’m just attempting to arrive at working definitions we can utilize as we explore the bizarre contagiousness of ‘evil.’ Neither I, nor anyone else, can ever have the ‘last word’ on these vital subjects.

That said, I DO think that the ability to take personal responsibility for one’s actions, ‘own’ one’s inner pain and dark emotions, and yet still seek to lift up, assist, and honor others form the basis for true ‘goodness.’

Empathy, self-awareness, and deep inner healing and growth are key. For unless one is born a saint, ‘Avatar,’ or ‘satguru’… we all have to go through sometimes painful learning and growth. We all have to learn to be our best selves and be ‘good.’

Is evil more contagious than good?

I’m not pleased to say this, but yes, ‘evil’ does seem to be far more contagious than ‘good.’ And by ‘contagious,’ I mean it easily spreads and infects other people, and often keeps spreading and infecting others in an ever-widening flood of pain and destruction.

A perfect example can be found in the rise of Donald Trump, MAGA, and ‘Trumpism.’ I don’t care about — and don’t accept — all the supposed ‘good reasons’ people voted for and support this man; what truly matters is that he is deeply evil and totally self-centered, and those who support and emulate him are likewise embracing evil. And as we’ve all seen over the past nine years, the evil embodied in Trump and ‘Trumpism’ keeps spreading and growing, until now it’s poised to take control (literally!) of the United States and its government.

Trump’s MAGA movement has been ferociously aggressive in spreading its lies and hateful manipulations, and can easily be seen as a ‘mass contagion’ that has infected our entire society. This is despite Trump’s obvious cruelty, racism, hatefulness, and stupidity. As I wrote in a recent response to someone on Medium: “There’s no possible reason good enough to justify voting this evil man into office.” There just… isn’t.

But we need to remember: evil isn’t rational, intelligent, or well-intentioned, whether we’re talking about Trump or Trump voters. It is always highly irrational (due to its internal ‘logic of insanity’) and is also stupidly, eerily predictable.

In the end, perhaps evil’s contagiousness boils down to one main problem: Human laziness, and the ease with which we succumb to forces that feed and empower our ‘lower selves’ and support our self-centered desires, hatreds, and reactions/actions.

Why are propaganda and disinformation so successful and effective? Because most people believe what they are told by ‘authorities,’ don’t have good mental discernment and critical thinking skills, and don’t think things through for themselves. That’s mental and moral laziness, pure and simple.

Perhaps the root cause of evil is truly human laziness.

Passive and active evil vs. passive and active good

But there’s another crucial aspect to all this: willful malevolence vs. passive contagion. I think it’s fair to say that, for most people, their moral and mental laziness encourages passive contagion, where they simply absorb and get infected by the evil around them.

But there are a few people — many of whom are in positions of power and authority — who choose to embody, embrace, and project evil, and keep choosing that path no matter what. These are the most truly evil people, and they can do a tremendous amount of damage — just as Trump, Putin, Viktor Orban, Netanyahu, and other ‘leaders’ have done, and continue to do.

Put differently: there seem to be both passive and active evil… as well as passive and active good.

The vast majority of people gravitate toward either passive evil or passive good — and mainly do what they are told, taught, or absorb from their surroundings. They ‘go with the flow,’ in a morbid, depressing sense, and become what their environment makes them — and nothing more. In a sense, most people are just suggestible, programmable ‘human automatons.’ (This is not a judgment, just a straightforward, factual observation.)

But a small minority choose to embody and constantly enact either active evil or active good. This much smaller group includes the worst ‘monsters,’ dictators, cult leaders, and mass murderers — and their main distinguishing characteristic seems to be a complete lack of conscience and empathy. These are the ruthless, cold-blooded killers, fraudsters, autocrats, haters, racists, and rapists, and they are usually sociopaths, psychopaths, or ‘malignant narcissists’ (like Trump).

But at the opposite end of the spectrum, we’ve got amazing and inspiring healers, teachers, moral leaders, saints, and even ‘world teachers,’ avatars, and enlightened masters. At the ‘good’ end of the spectrum, we have powerful spiritual leaders and teachers like Jesus, Mohammed, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King. These powerful human beings embody what I’d call ‘love in action,’ and consistently choose to manifest healing, uplifting, and empowering energies.

The crucial importance of social environment and education

Where does this leave us in our quest for deeper understanding of ‘good’ and ‘evil’?

Since the vast majority of people lean toward passive evil or passive good, we can confidently say that most people are heavily influenced or ‘programmed’ by their social and family environments. This being the case, having a positive family experience, a healthy social environment, and excellent, in-depth education are all crucial to forming mature, empathetic, and ‘good’ people.

And I do mean ‘forming.’ People who are passively evil OR passively good are formed, and in a sense ‘created,’ by their surroundings — so a firm grounding in positive moral teachings and concepts is truly crucial to civilization and what we call ‘decent behavior.’

Most folks are only ‘civilized’ because they were heavily trained to be that way — and likewise, most folks become ‘evil’ and UNcivilized because they were programmed to be that way, often through lack of support, education, and nurturance. (Remember: evil people/parents always withhold kindness and nurturance, and instead seek to undermine, control, or destroy others — even their own children.)

That’s the sad truth about humanity that I’ve come to see and (reluctantly) accept: the vast majority of people are almost totally products of their social environment, while only a small minority manage to transcend their surroundings and reach their full potential — whether that’s for higher good or more depraved evil.

Only a few souls manifest the strength and self-determination to access these best or worst aspects of being human — so only a few become ‘actively good’ or ‘actively evil.’ The rest of us are merely semi-conscious ‘sheeple.’

The problem of ‘wetiko’ and the ‘mind virus’

This brings me to a topic near and UNdear to my heart: the problem of wetiko, or the ‘white man’s disease,’ or the ‘mind virus.’ According to various Native American shamans and tribal lore, there is a mysterious, deadly affliction that is often found among White folks and is easily transmitted to unsuspecting others. Wetiko is a form of madness and mental blindness that takes over peoples’ souls and causes them to think, believe, and do unspeakable things — both to our Mother Earth and each other.

To me, this sounds very much like a virulent form of ‘passive evil,’ in which unwary, unaware people — that is, most of us — are conditioned and ‘brainwashed’ into extremely negative mental and emotional states and led directly into ugly and dangerous beliefs and actions. Some writers describe wetiko as a ‘mind parasite,’ but I’d say that ANY process, group, or entity that entraps people in selfish, greedy, and/or hateful emotions and beliefs is a form of wetiko or ‘mind virus.’

Thus, I have to say: the cruel and dangerous path carved out by Trump, MAGA, and the Trump-dominated GOP is clear evidence of wetiko in action. Even further, our entire (bizarre) Western mindset that separates us from nature and seeks to ‘conquer’ or ‘remake’ nature is an ongoing, vastly destructive manifestation of wetiko. It is truly a form of madness — yet, like any mental state or belief system, it constantly defends and justifies itself and maintains its own internal ‘logic’ and inner consistency.

But, as already noted… it’s the ‘logic’ of insanity. Destroying one’s own planetary Home and home society is not exactly sane behavior.

‘Good‘ people will always be in the minority

At this point, I must make clear: this wetiko ‘virus’ is certainly not limited to Whites. In fact, it can pop up anywhere, in anyone or any group. It has spread around the world and infected every continent, race, and ethnic group (except for the most far-flung, hidden ‘primitive’ groups). And since most humans do NOT ever get adequate family or societal nurturing or positive training growing up, it follows that most of us are NOT inoculated against evil or its dark companion, wetiko. And many of us are actually entrained from birth onward into passive evil.

There, in a nutshell, is the primary answer to the perennial question “Why is ‘evil’ much more contagious than ‘good’?” Evil IS more contagious, and keeps spreading and growing, simply because not enough human beings are either well-trained and positively ‘programmed’ — and thus passively good — or strongly committed to ‘active good’ and manifesting profound, ongoing ‘love-in-action.’

Sadly, I think our conclusion must be that ‘good’ people, whether of the passive or active variety, will always be in the minority as long as such deep dysfunction, ignorance, and conflict rule our family and social lives.

These deep dysfunctions, acting together, create a mind-numbing, perpetual ‘evil machine,’ churning out vast hordes of chaotically trained and badly ‘programmed’ people. Our pathetically ineffective family and social systems keep churning out angry, frustrated, pain-filled people — and as the saying goes, “Hurt people hurt people.”

And the ‘mind virus’ wetiko feeds off/infects hurt people, of course, and propels them even more into undermining, hurting, or even killing others.

It’s the ultimate vicious circle or ‘downward spiral’ — which is why it’s the ultimate issue in every society. It reveals exactly why ‘evil’ is so tenacious and contagious and why it spreads so easily.

It really is that simple — and that devastating.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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Photo credit: sebastiaan stam on Unsplash