Evil Exists So Good Will Prevail
Everyone could recollect multiple scenarios of when they have encountered something evil or corrupt, or perhaps they have committed the wrongdoing. I believe the three Abrahamic religions can best answer the question of why evil exists. Because Adam and Eve listened to the one who wished for their demise, both were banished from the heavens. The devil is considered an infamous symbol of evil. He is the perfect embodiment of what evil entails. Even people who do not believe in his existence reference the devil to describe something as malicious. So why does he exist in the holy books, and overall, why does evil exist?
Much like the Chinese concept of yin and yang, evil and good can be depicted in a similar way. If there is a yin, there must be a yang. However, these two cannot mix or confusion will be the end result. Likewise, the creation of good and bad affects us in this lifetime. Without understanding what evil is, the lines between what is right and what is wrong will be blurred. Evil exists so good can prevail.
We look towards pop culture to define what evil is. Movies like Hellboy and Maleficent present characters with devilish features as the hero or the protagonist of the story. Archetypes such as the bad boy and bad girl give the illusion that being immoral is cool. Celebrities, mainly talk show hosts, ridicule the idea of hell and desensitize sadism. Songs heard on repeat blatantly promote lust, power, and greed. We praise the ones who demean women and strip children of their innocence. Our leaders have a responsibility to protect the helpless and needy by being role models, but the opposite is true. They say they advocate for human rights, body positivity, the youth, and minority groups. On the contrary, the very people who place such big names on a pedestal are harming or being hurt because our leaders altered both good and bad. Pop culture is wrong. Humans are prone to make errors, whether they realize it or not. Evil does not exist for the purposes of entertainment or pleasure. We must take a look beyond pop culture to realize why evil remains prominent in our lives.
The best approach to understand evil is to examine theology. Not only does religion delve deep into what is moral, but it also explores thoroughly the shameless acts many have committed. Religion provides a clear and concise distinction between right and wrong. In this lifetime, evil must occur so that good will triumph. Evil is simply evidence that good does exist. It is nothing more and nothing less.
