I couldn't see the flash of his Cincinnati gold teeth anymore. His nervous smile had faded along with the self-deprecating jokes. He glanced around at the convicts surrounding him. From my spot in the stairwell, aware of everything while “seeing” nothing, I watched as the gravity of his situation set in.
In the animal kingdom, those who show psychotic and/or sociopathic behaviours are rejected/shunned and/or killed, right from birth even, no exceptions. Humanity is so focused on moving away from nature, acting as though we are better/smarter than creation, that we refuse to see the imploding all around us. Hopefully a majority of some sort wakes up before it’s too late. Admitting we are wrong/making mistakes is the only way forward. Being “nice” to our abusers, waiting for a “hero” and playing the victim/prey is definitely not a winning strategy.
Kindness to evil men is not appreciated, it is exploited. People think that simply treating them kindly will inspire some self-awakening when the truth is the Samaritan is viewed with contempt and even disgust. You think you're being nice, we think you're being weak and stupid.
It's an equivalent mistake to confuse kindness for weakness. Many kind people are not kind because they need any kind of validation from others, especially not criminals, for having done so. They are kind, because a) that's what separates healthy, well adjusted human beings from animals, and b) it's a waste of energy to be mad at a sick or injured animal for acting like a sick or injured animal. But make no mistake, if an evil person tries to bite them, they will bite back with exactly zero misgivings. That the evil person doesn't return their compassion or think they're stupid is of no consequence to them. They know what the evil people think of them, and they don't give them enough credence to care.
Speaking from 27 years experience in prison work, I understand exactly what is said here. The largest number of those inmates I worked around were solid people in need of the tools to make it in society. But a significant number had no interest in rehabilitation. Man, they could work the system to their benefit, but they could care less about those they hurt. That idea was a puzzle to them.
What a searing essay. Dr. Scott Peck wrote a book called "People of the Lie." He came to believe in evil in the world and he outlined his encounters with them. I can't remember exactly how he phrased it, but he said he wasn't surprised about people acting out evil. He was surprised there wasn't more. Your essay surpasses his book looking into the nature of evil. I have also read that sociopaths can live decently in the world by mimicking others as to what is expected. But that begs the question, what motivates the change to do so?
The psychopaths you mention aren't motivated to "do good", they're simply in circumstances where it makes sense. They have no personal attachments to the actions themselves. Just because their wiring makes them predisposed to being comfortable with evil doesn't mean they know how to commit it. I would've made an absolutely phenomenal soldier in the military for the exact same reasons I made a great criminal. It's environment coupled with the "bad-wiring"
I just read your essay on sex trafficking. Another harrowing essay. While you think nature created you and others like you, do you think nature creates the victims? Is it just nurture or does someone's wiring play a role?
In the animal kingdom, those who show psychotic and/or sociopathic behaviours are rejected/shunned and/or killed, right from birth even, no exceptions. Humanity is so focused on moving away from nature, acting as though we are better/smarter than creation, that we refuse to see the imploding all around us. Hopefully a majority of some sort wakes up before it’s too late. Admitting we are wrong/making mistakes is the only way forward. Being “nice” to our abusers, waiting for a “hero” and playing the victim/prey is definitely not a winning strategy.
I was naive. I was a child. Then I grew up.
Kindness to evil men is not appreciated, it is exploited. People think that simply treating them kindly will inspire some self-awakening when the truth is the Samaritan is viewed with contempt and even disgust. You think you're being nice, we think you're being weak and stupid.
It's an equivalent mistake to confuse kindness for weakness. Many kind people are not kind because they need any kind of validation from others, especially not criminals, for having done so. They are kind, because a) that's what separates healthy, well adjusted human beings from animals, and b) it's a waste of energy to be mad at a sick or injured animal for acting like a sick or injured animal. But make no mistake, if an evil person tries to bite them, they will bite back with exactly zero misgivings. That the evil person doesn't return their compassion or think they're stupid is of no consequence to them. They know what the evil people think of them, and they don't give them enough credence to care.
Speaking from 27 years experience in prison work, I understand exactly what is said here. The largest number of those inmates I worked around were solid people in need of the tools to make it in society. But a significant number had no interest in rehabilitation. Man, they could work the system to their benefit, but they could care less about those they hurt. That idea was a puzzle to them.
What a searing essay. Dr. Scott Peck wrote a book called "People of the Lie." He came to believe in evil in the world and he outlined his encounters with them. I can't remember exactly how he phrased it, but he said he wasn't surprised about people acting out evil. He was surprised there wasn't more. Your essay surpasses his book looking into the nature of evil. I have also read that sociopaths can live decently in the world by mimicking others as to what is expected. But that begs the question, what motivates the change to do so?
If you're interested in deeper dives or individual examples of men like this, it's largely the focus of my personal Substack
The psychopaths you mention aren't motivated to "do good", they're simply in circumstances where it makes sense. They have no personal attachments to the actions themselves. Just because their wiring makes them predisposed to being comfortable with evil doesn't mean they know how to commit it. I would've made an absolutely phenomenal soldier in the military for the exact same reasons I made a great criminal. It's environment coupled with the "bad-wiring"
I just read your essay on sex trafficking. Another harrowing essay. While you think nature created you and others like you, do you think nature creates the victims? Is it just nurture or does someone's wiring play a role?