I have often wondered about the nature of evil, particularly since the advent of 9-11, when thousands of people were indiscriminately murdered by foreign terrorists. My casual studies have yielded a few understandable concepts in that there is natural evil, which is caused by natural causes, with such events like earthquakes, fires or pandemics. The other main evil is moral evil, which is directly caused by humans on other humans with such things as murder and by deliberate actions designed to cause pain and suffering. In my long life I had never thought, in my wildest imaginations, that evil would come to my country and be delivered by my fellow citizens.

There is no softening of phrases, evil has come to America.

In the last month this evil has been gleefully administered by our own elected representatives to those of us least able to resist it. Beginning with the destruction of programs to help hungry and sick people not only internationally but here at home as well. The canceling of most all of the programs enacted to protect and regulate things that would take advantage of and harm people have been swept aside. The richest man in the world has been empowered to destroy anything that he sees as check on his power and enables him in the exploitation of nearly everything around him. There has been the indiscriminate butchering of personnel from agencies that help and protect people in the daily conduct of their lives. There has been the deliberate and hideous placement of manifestly unqualified persons in charge of our most important agencies and protective institutions. And this in only one month. It has all been done in the feeble guise of saving money, but the destruction of programs that manifestly help millions and millions of needy people will be used for massive tax cuts for obscenely rich people that will again blow up the vast federal debt of our country.

If they can succeed in these early outrages, nothing that helps people will be safe from their avarice, any social program now standing will eventually be picked clean in service to the rich and powerful who lord over us from above. The incredible suffering to come will be catastrophic, truly a monstrous evil will descend on us.

What is there, if anything, that we can do?

I have always found some solace in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien through his character, the wizard Gandalf. “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love.” But is this enough in our modern times? The power of an individual is small, and against the forces aligned against us today, even the power of many individuals many not be enough. Though all of history such evil men and their power has been eventually overthrown, but often at a great price and horrible effort by our civilization. Again from Tolkien, “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” I will try to find a way myself to help combat this modern evil, I must.

(We have a small Tolkien display in our family room to remind us to do good. It includes among other things, the Gandalf quote and a marvelous bronze sculpture of a Hobbit on horseback by fantasy artist Vincent Villafranca.)