Of course, there is no denying that. But our violence seems to arise from fear. Not as a theoretical explanation of cause and effect, but just from watching all those different moments of violence in one’s daily life.
From fear, yes. Anger too. Disgust, envy. Maybe even sadness.
Violence can arise in response to pretty much any ‘negative’ emotion.
Dan - freedom was never mentioned.
However, when technical thought is in its place, freedom IS, as psychological thought/time simply dissolves - it is that simple.
A practical example: Driving along, suddenly there is a flat tyre.
Technical response: Spare and tools in the back - change tyre - continue on. (No self)
Psychological response: ‘Why does this happen to ME?’ - ‘Bloody tyre!’ - ‘I’m going to be late now!’ - ‘I am afraid because it is happening on the freeway - it’s dangerous!’ (Panic stations, and falling over one’s own feet…) (All self)
Where is freedom?
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Yes Dan - that is what drives the self as psychological time.
While there is a ‘me’ and a ‘you’, psychological superiority exists.
It is also the manner in which the self is then conditioned - competition, comparison, conflict, war. Total disorder.
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“At the beginning, not at the end”.
Charley -
Interestingly, the etymological meaning of the word ‘evil’ is 'EXCESS"
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Dan -
In the example, as in life, freedom is in technical thinking.
When technical thinking is not in place, there is no freedom.
One begins technically - empirically.
So - what is reality? Pure perception?
The brain deprives itself of using its full potential by limiting it’s function to the security of the self, the center. It has trapped itself.
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OK Dan - so what is the correct action? Technically?
Patricia,
Excess, hmmm, not sure of that… although excess does mean going beyond what is correct… more like indulgence…
other than that … yfel or ubel or evul, which even sounds like will… always considered that best understood from that child’s rhyme “I think I can I think I can”… (from the “Little Engine That Could” song) which pretty much sums up what our entire civilization is based upon…
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Charley -
The reference is W W Skeat “Etymological Dictionary”.
“Evil” means: going beyond the bounds.
The word “excess” means: going beyond. They have the same meaning.
Other sources too have described “evil” etymologically meaning “excess”.
Observing human behaviour it is clearly excessive behaviour which brings about disorder, and is disorder in itself, as it involves not listening holistically to the earth, or to body/mind oneness.
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Dear Patricia,
One must be a tad careful here. In etymology, the link between any two words, from what one has studied, is not in the interpretation, i.e. meaning, which the etymologist suggests, it lies in the original Indo-European (PIE) root of each word. Words evolved over time from the migration of peoples from Sanskrit to English.
Sorry to say, but the root of the word “excess” is from from PIE root *ked- “to go, yield”…As an adjective, “beyond what is necessary, proper, or right,” from late 15c.
you see, ked- is not related to either “will” or “evil”…
Will
Old English *willan, wyllan “to wish, desire; be willing; be used to; be about to” (past tense wolde), from Proto-Germanic *willjan (source also of Old Saxon willian, Old Norse vilja, Old Frisian willa, Dutch willen, Old High German wellan, German wollen, Gothic wiljan “to will, wish, desire,” Gothic waljan “to choose”).
The Germanic words are from PIE root *wel- (2) “to wish, will” (source also of Sanskrit vrnoti “chooses, prefers,” varyah “to be chosen, eligible, excellent,” varanam “choosing;” Avestan verenav- “to wish, will, choose;” Greek elpis “hope;” Latin volo, velle “to wish, will, desire;” Old Church Slavonic voljo, voliti “to will,” veljo, veleti “to command;” Lithuanian velyti “to wish, favor,” pa-velmi “I will,” viliuos “I hope;” Welsh gwell “better”).
Compare also Old English wel “well,” literally “according to one’s wish;”
etymology site for word “will”
Evil
Old English yfel (Kentish evel) “bad, vicious, ill, wicked,” from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz (source also of Old Saxon ubil, Old Frisian and Middle Dutch evel, Dutch euvel, Old High German ubil, German übel, Gothic ubils), from PIE *upelo-, from root *wap- “bad, evil” (source also of Hittite huwapp- “evil”)…
etymology site for word “evil”
As one can see, it is the PIE root which ties two words together, not the interpretation of the words - how the etymologist understands their meaning. Charley sees a link between “will” and “evil”, because of the sound of the words… so, strictly speaking, Charley’s contention alone… spelling, well… lol Charley could be wrong about these two words. But I did study Latin for a few years in high school, and Greek during the B.A. In general, one prefers Pokorny for etymology.
Pokorny
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We don’t know ,we are learning as it unfolds daily…
You are correct Charley.
Accuracy is so important in all this.
Thank you.
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Can there be negative emotion without a positive image? Or does the positive activity invite the negative reaction?
Are negative and positive in the eye of the beholder?
The beholder certainly creates the positive image, the ideal, either as an image about the world or as an image about themselves - probably there is not much difference - and the negative reactions arise when the positive images are threatened. To the beholder, it must seem as though any negativity is the result of outside influences, such as the evil dictator, the stupid driver or the lazy husband or wife.
We want to feel good. That is our number one priority in life. In pursuit of this we move towards what feels good/right and away from what feels bad/wrong. Our conditioning and intelligence determine what feels good, what feels bad, and the extent we’re caught in this dynamic.
But is goodness a feeling? And is intelligence ours to use as we will? After all, the original question is all about discovering if there is an intelligent way to understand what is happening. Can a conditioned mind ever find an intelligent way out of its own self-created dilemmas? Or it can only ever act stupidly.
It depends on the nature of the conditioning? A mind that is conditioned to be aware of the adverse effects of its conditioning might stand a reasonably good chance of finding a way out.