Pure Evil

And then there are the bad actors. Let’s start there. Has anyone here actually been labeled as a "bad person"? I’m guessing not, but let’s see. We'll wait a bit.

We’re all inherently flawed; it’s just a matter of degree, I suppose.
There isn't a single soul on this planet who hasn't been a little wicked at some point. But then again, we aren't exactly eager to admit that, are we? (Though, I guess there are exceptions to everything)🙂
What does it even mean to be "evil," really?
Most people go through life treating others poorly while firmly believing they're the good guys. To me, the real question is whether we actually realize how much darkness we carry, or if we all just know deep down and choose to pretend it's no big deal. Maybe we just minimize it.
The truth is, our capacity for good is always mirrored by our capacity for bad. I find it hard to believe anyone is purely saintly or purely demonic in this world. It all comes down to perspective, I think.
Some of us are just more malicious than others, maybe.

Heh. I’ve always been an optimist at heart—I truly believe there's good in everyone if you look hard enough.

Regarding evil, it feels more like a byproduct of human imperfection to me. Now, regarding those "honorable exceptions" you mentioned, I don't really see them. Honestly, I don't know anyone who would actually label themselves as an evil person. Usually, when someone makes claims like that, they're just being edgy for the sake of it. But otherwise? No. Not a single soul.

BTW, I once heard someone argue that "bad people" don't actually exist. Instead, they suggested there are just healthy people and broken people—and it's the broken ones who end up doing bad things. That ties right back into my idea about evil being a result of human flaws.

What does "evil" even mean, though? I guess it's just the opposite of good. Like, someone who actually finds joy in seeing others suffer or something along those lines.

The concept of committing an evil act is inherently relative, primarily because even actions born from seemingly noble intentions can inadvertently cause significant harm to others.
It is my firm belief that we are discussing an action driven purely by Malice.

An act motivated by pure Malice represents a sensation that is uniquely transparent, both clean and profoundly sincere.
Within such an act, one witnesses an expression of boundless selflessness, where an individual essentially sacrifices their own interests simply to inflict suffering on another for the sheer pleasure of it.

Anyone who has actually experienced this—having been on the darker side of things themselves—understands the true nature of evil and can recognize precisely when it is manifesting.
Interestingly enough, there is no underlying motive that can truly explain such behavior, because Malice does not seek out justifications or reasons.

Rather, it serves as a snapshot of a specific person's state at a particular moment, a phenomenon that is characteristic only of conscious beings.

beeli said:What does evil actually mean? I guess it's just the opposite of good—someone who gets a kick out of seeing others suffer or something along those lines.

If we’re talking about primordial Malice, I think it has to be hardwired, almost like a faulty microchip embedded in the brain😲, or perhaps something latent that manifests through a neurological disorder.
Primordial Malice, if it even exists, would be something a person is simply born with.

Most other types of human cruelty are just byproducts—essentially the fallout from fear, ignorance, trauma, frustration, or deep-seated complexes.
Those are things acquired over time😉.

We really ought to distinguish those petty, common vices that most people struggle with from true, fundamental Malice.

Most people just choose to forget. They push away the bad things they’ve done or experienced, treating those moments like weird little exceptions to their own rule.🙂
It's because we all have this hunger to win, I guess. We want to be right, to look like the good guys in everyone else's eyes... but for us to win, there has to be someone on the losing side. Someone who's wrong. Someone who's the villain.
I suppose it's just a byproduct of society and our collective obsession with dominance, rather than some innate drive toward being "good."
If there weren't a system—if there were no government or laws at all—life would be a nightmare. Not necessarily because people are naturally evil, but just because it's easier to survive if you're ruthless. Or whatever that word implies.
People don't actually strive for evil, nor do they strive for good. They just end up labeled as such because of certain actions taken out of necessity or survival. It's just life, I guess.
Humans basically invented the concepts of good and evil, but in reality, it's all one tangled mess that's nearly impossible to untangle. If anyone could truly tell where their goodness ends and their darkness begins, maybe they'd reach some kind of perfection. Though, I'm not talking about pure, raw evil. If true, primal evil exists, it probably only exists in some supernatural sense, which is a whole different conversation. If a person were purely evil, they'd likely destroy themselves immediately.

Labeling "bad" people as sick or insane is often just a failure to understand them—their thoughts, their goals, or their motives, assuming they even have any. Personally, I don't believe anyone does something out of pure, unadulterated malice. At most, they do it for the thrill, which is still just another goal or outcome. You don't always need a deep psychological reason to explain an action.
Evil has always been around, and it always will be. Maybe the real issue is that nobody ever admits to being the bad guy. If people were honest about it, perhaps "evil" wouldn't even exist anymore. But then again, lies are quite convenient.🙂
When it comes to ourselves, we are the very last people to admit our faults. Yet, when it's someone else, we're incredibly quick to judge.