on my most recent YouTube post titled The Opposite of Trauma is Presence, someone posted some really profound thoughts on how trauma can’t be used to explain away the existence of evil. I thought I’d share the actual thread because it’s so cool. The commenter is named Alex_006.

Alex: The statement "this is the human condition" reminded me of a great paper by Murray Stein called "Jung on Evil" (.pdf freely found on google). What would love and goodness be without evil. What would we be without good and evil. Did you hide parts of yourself or did the overcoming of evil make you. I think the "survival parenting" concept is perhaps a bit soft on evil. I'm not an expert, I haven't worked in the field, but I do not believe that trauma is simply caused by the absence of good. A father who, drunk or not, sadistically beats his innocent child regularly and with growing intensity is not just "in survival mode" and in the absence of good parenting. There is such a thing as evil. And while trauma has played a role in going down this dark path, it is not the sole reason for it. Many people are bullied but don't become bullies themselves, even without much outside help. I think that the battle of the soul between good and evil is the crux of the matter. We cannot separate psychology from theology if we want to see reality as it actually is. So was glad to see a rabbi chiming in on this one. Together, you two will be unstoppable forces for good. Ending quote of the aforementioned paper: "While it is important for consciousness to throw its weight on the side of good, of life, of growth and integration, it must be recognized that this is a struggle without hope for final victory. For victory would be stasis and so would spell defeat anyway from the point of view of evolution. The evolution of reality depends upon the dynamic interplay of forces that we call good and evil, and where the evolution of consciousness and spirit is finally headed is still beyond our knowledge. The best we can do is to participate in this unfolding with the greatest possible extent of consciousness. Beyond that we must reconcile ourselves to leaving the outcome up to the Power that is greater than ourselves."

Jacob Ham: Alex, this comment has blown my mind... I fully agree that there is evil in the world and that much of my life is coming to terms with its reality. Then the next step for me personally is to not let myself be overwhelmed by evil and to not let myself lump traumatized people into that category of evil. It's an incredible delicate act. I don't have an answer for it. But, I do agree with Jung that consciousness is the transcendent answer to this struggle. Much of my life has been in the service of not turning a blind eye to evil, while seeking and willing pockets of beauty, in the way that Nietzsche originally compelled us to do. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment.

Alex_006: The way I understand evil, based much on Jung, is that evil has a reality of its own but it needs our cooperation. It is like a dance with the devil. This is ultimately an optimistic view because it means that people are never completely evil in themselves, but have rather given in to this force out of weakness, or to the wind blowing through men as Rumi called it. It also would mean that anyone can theoretically turn away from evil, repent and make amends; thus freeing themselves of bondage to it. Sadly, this is probably a rare exception when the hold is deep. And I agree, coming to terms with evil is a life-defining task that feels sometimes unbearable. I have also very much been impacted by Nietzsche's words of how the whole universe can be justified by a single moment of happiness, no matter the darkness before it. I've experienced the feeling myself; it was while feeding ducks with a woman I really like. I still find it incomprehensible that all of history was needed for that moment to take place. How you have not turned away from evil is what has made you a good and brave man. Life is glad to have you. Here is another quote that I felt would fit: “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” – St. Augustine

Jacob Ham: You are a long lost brother of mine... in the words of Cormac McCarthy: He thought that in the beauty of the world were hid a secret. He thought the world's heart beat at some terrible cost and that the world's pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of diverging equity and that in this headlong deficit the blood of multitudes might ultimately be exacted for the vision of a single flower.

Alex_006: Beautiful words. Really encapsulated this strange view I've had formulating in me for a while now, thank you.