Frivolity of Evil Article Review - Essay Example

The Frivolity of Evil Choice and Concern for Welfare – these are the two concepts that the believes to be the root cause of evil. Everybody has the potentiality to commit sins and he has the free will to succumb to these sins or evade it. It is just a matter of free will or the ability to make a solid decision. However, there are instances where evil cannot be avoided due to a variety of factors; one of which is the concern for welfare of the humanity. Dalrymple once said, “…the slate is wiped clean once a prisoner is released from prison, but the debt is not paid off” (1). A prisoner could be released from prison after his sentence but the intent of the evil he has done cannot be erased. He could say that his sentence for robbery has been done but he cannot say that he did not committed the crime. Therefore, you cannot pay the debt for something cruel you have done just because of consummated punishment. The statement of Dalrymple and the argument that choice is the root cause of evil and the concern for welfare intensify the frivolity of evil are justified in Dalrymple’s experiences. Dalrymple’s 14 years of experience really proves the existence and proliferation of evil. Even in their house, Dalrymple has felt the existence of evil when his mother didn’t talk so much about her life even though she was a refugee from Nazi Germany. Science could not explain but there was a ghostly presence inside their house. Dalrymple also got some evidences of his claims from touring the world. He witnessed a lot of evil doings especially in the field of politics, including the Civil War in Central America, execution of every last person for being a disaffected or potentially disaffected individual in Equatorial Guinea, slaughtering of 600 people in Liberia by the President, and acme of tyranny in North Korea. All of these evil doings are politically-inclined and has made Dalrymple conclude that evil could possibly be avoided through the absence of worst political deformations. However, his experiences with his patients further explored constitutional, institutional, and social factors which may have resulted to the existence and proliferation of evil. Evil is unforced and spontaneous (Dalrymple, 3). Men commit evil by choice and not because someone requires them to do so. A historical proof of this dates back in the 1930s when a man was found guilty of failing to report a political joke to authorities and eventually confronted with the consequence of death or deportation. Today, there is no rule such rule that exists and the government does not require citizens to behave in a particular way. Therefore, evil is freely chosen by the individual. He has the choice to do it or not. The evolution of government from dictatorship to people welfare-centered further intensified the existence of evil. In this case, Dalrymple used data from his patients to justify his claim. Majority of his patients often went to him with complaints of depression. As Dalrymple believe, everybody has their free wills. Your emotional state does not depend on doctors or any pathological advisers but to your choice of living a life full of happiness or misery. Your emotional state must never be dependent on others because everybody has the right and capacity to be happy. Dalrymple further argued that we all know the reasons for our unhappiness but we are blinded by our miseries. Let us consider the case from one of his patients, a mother who had three children by different men. History revealed that the father of his first child is violent; the second died in a car accident while driving a stolen car; and the third demanded to leave him after the birth of the first child. As she had nowhere to go, the hospital served as a temporary shelter. In-depth history of the patient also revealed that she was kicked out of the house by her mother’s boyfriend and thus, cannot return home. Evil could easily be done to this vulnerable woman because of her age, predisposition of being dependent on a man, and relationship history. She would soon found a man with the same characteristics from those previous husbands and this could make her children vulnerable to evil – exploitation and abuse. Knowing this possibility, the woman still chose to act according to his will. This is where a simple act of cruelty might lead to succession of evil as the elevation of passing pleasure for oneself might lead to long-term misery of her children to whom the mother owes a duty. Choice as the root cause of evil is intensified by the condition of the welfare state. The state is guided by the humane philosophy and aids the disadvantaged mother and child. She won’t pay local taxes, rent, or utility bills. Even the father is being freed of the responsibility as when the biological father abandon the child, the state becomes the father. Soon, you would see the irresponsible father spending whatever amount of income he has to his previous vices including alcoholic beverages, girls, and drugs. The state as the surrogate father did not help in the situation; instead, the state intensified the evilness of the biological father who is now an evil tyrant. I agree with the author’s claim that evil is committed by choice and intensified by the consumer welfare or funds from the government. We were given the highest form of intellect to decide on our own. To do good or evil, the last person that will decide is US. Our decision might be influenced by a few people around us or from circumstances in the environment but, we are solely responsible for commitment to evil. We can say that we are just forced to do a crime but we cannot claim that we are innocent. We have done something evil. We are aware about it but we’re just afraid to admit it because of the consequences of our actions. I also agree that the government has a huge role in the proliferation of evil. Just like raising a family, offering financial assistance would only lead to ‘spoiled brats’. Instead of doing this, the government should address the problem and put the respective persons in a rehabilitation or wellness facility. They should have investigate thoroughly to avoid abuse of privileges. Lastly, children must temporarily be remove from the custody of both parents to avoid worsening or succession of evil. Work Cited Dalrymple, Theodore. The Frivolity of Evil. New York: City Journal, 2004. Online Article. Read More