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Shadow of Evil
Even though your impulses may never cross the line into violence, ordinary impulses intensify in the shadow, where you can’t see them. Whenever you hear yourself sounding resentful or angry without provocation, whenever you find yourself on the verge of tears for no reason, whenever you cannot explain why you suddenly made a rash decision, you are actually feeling the effects of energy covertly building up in the shadow.
The shadow has grown used to being repressed; therefore, to access this region of the mind doesn’t happen easily. Nor is direct assault effective. The shadow knows how to resist; it can slam the door and hide its dark energy even deeper.
People assume that the dark side of human nature has unstoppable power; Satan has been elevated into the equivalent of a negative God. But when it is broken down, evil turns out to be a distorted response to everyday situations.
Evil is born in the gap between body and mind. There is no powerful ruler of the kingdom of evil. Satan started out as a moment of sensory input that got wildly out of hand.
Adapted from The Book of Secrets by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2004).
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12 comments
add your comment »I think perhaps the best way of dealing with these "shadow impulses" is through release in a manner that doesn't harm ones self or anyone else.
Be it taking 10 minutes on the punching bag in the basement, to booting up a violent video game and cutting loose for an hour, doing something to release that build up of "negative energy" is essential to keeping it under control for some people. (And others who just bottle it up might find a occassional release of all the pent up energy can have a remarkable effect on improving their mood/relieving the tension in their lives.)
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why is this inappropriate?
i don't believe in evil. i do believe in the struggle within our human side to find the God within us all. but thats from lack of understanding and enlightenment....not evil. ones journey to God may not be at the same level as mine but i cannot honestly call that evil in them. A child born into a family of anger and violence may not know love but must i call that evil. one, i believe , must call that innocense. the child would know nothing else. thats why we are told to teach all nations. i can't see ignorance as evil. anger consumes them but it is all they know. how is that evil?
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Good and evil are choices. What people recognize as a creature of evil was actually a misinterpretation of the word satan. The meaning as it was used back in the day, is 'one who seduces or tempts'. Anyone can be a satan. It's not a red devil blowing smoke. It's just a word or a label.
Like the man said..."evil turns out to be a distorted response to everyday situations."
In fact, satan lives in my freezer in a box of vanilla pecan ice cream...hmmm, think I'll go take a bite outta that ol devil.
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If you compare good/evil to heat/cold: Some would argue that there is a force of cold. But scientifically, it is only the lack of heat. This helps me to define the concept of evil as a lack of light or love.
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you might read "A Little Book on the Human Shadow" it is very helpful in discovering the darkness in ourselves.
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'Satan started out as a moment of sensory input that got wildly out of hand.'
That's a great line. Wonderful and purposeful writing.
Rajendar Menen from Bombay, India
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i understand about gd vs evil...but also i feel we must take a total self into consideration..for we are a composit of mind body spirit etc..so for ex a person who maybe be diabetic for ex..if they eat sugar or not on time etc then their physical being can play am role...just some food for thought...we are a complex composit and balance is so important..and rather vital, regarding how we respond to gd vs evil...etc/thanks for what it is worth!
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I may identify with the ideas however I could not expand on them myself. When thoughts of anger or whatever other emotion appear, I prefer to see and acknowledge them and then let them disolve. Trying to make sense out of them is just mind games for me...I really don't think that is an area I wish to explore or necessary for me to pick up on....to continue the madness?!?. It might suit intellectuals.
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For me, evil is non love, non lovingness. Evil is dishonest.
Evil is jealousy. Evil is cruelty. Evil is darkness without light.
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This explanation of evil helps me to see why there is so much distortion among people. Anyone who believes that evil is only a figment of the imagination has already been defeated when it comes to deliverence. For example, is it only a concoction of the imagination when someone actually hears a voice whisper in their ear to take the life of another, or to kill themselves? I know people this has happened to. What else then, can eveil be but a spirit if it is "born between the gap of body and mind?". Thank you for giving me the opportunity to prevent this side of thought.
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