Reflections on Evil, Part 1

(This is something I wrote in October 2022 and left unpublished✨)

While tidying up and cleaning my room—in the midst of decluttering—

I reread a lecture by Steiner on the relationship between Manichaeism and evil that I had read a long time ago (it dates back over 30 years, as I left a date from 1991 on it...), and I found inspiration for what I am currently facing✨

I have been thinking about the existence of "evil" for a long time, so...

Well, not just recently. There are several themes that have been with me since I became conscious of myself, and "evil" is one of them. If I look troubled from the outside, it is likely that I am searching for thoughts that serve as inspiration while looking for a path for energy to pass through my body regarding those themes.

I had been looking for it for a long time, but I couldn't find it even in used bookstores, and today I finally found the file I had copied...

Reading it for the first time in 31 years, I met my 21-year-old self who was searching. And the same sentences I underlined back then still resonate as inspiration today✨

I also realized that 31 years of life experience have given more concrete meaning to that context, allowing me to understand it more deeply.

It explains, "Usually, Manichaeism is distinguished from Western Christianity by its view on evil. Catholicism considers evil to be something that was originally divine that has fallen, something that was originally a good spirit of God that has fallen. In contrast, Manichaeism teaches that evil is as eternal as good, that there is no resurrection of the flesh, and that evil will never disappear..." and

it expresses the inspiration of the Manichaean spiritual lineage: "What is important is that the Kingdom of Light overcomes the Kingdom of Darkness not through battle, but through gentleness, generosity, and compassion. It does not fight against evil, but redeems evil by mixing with it. By having a part of the light enter into evil, evil overcomes itself."

Translator's note: The Sixth Root Race refers to humans who will live in the era that begins after the Fifth Root Race (modern humans) closes with the 'war of all against all.' In this era, what is in the heart will appear on the outside, humanity will be divided into all of humanity and evil humanity, and turning evil back into good will be the main task.

"The Sixth Root Race has the task of incorporating evil back into the flow of evolution as much as possible through tolerance. A spiritual lineage will emerge that does not resist evil as it appears in the world in a demonic form. Among the successors of the Widow's Son, the consciousness will solidify to overcome evil not through battle, but through tolerance, and to draw it back into evolution. It is the task of the Manichaean spiritual lineage to prepare for this."

And,
"This spiritual lineage must express itself through the formation of a community that values peace, love, and non-resistance to evil."

It is a grand scale, but what would happen if we applied this inspiration to the present day...

1) Can we try to understand a person who has been labeled as "evil" by the mainstream of public opinion, while distancing ourselves from the influence of that label?

2) As Steiner suggests, "Evil is nothing but good out of place." How can we cultivate the power to distinguish between evil and good within ourselves in accordance with this inspiration?

3) And, "How should we think about the cooperation between good and evil?"

I felt very inspired and happy that the Manichaean lineage is asking this question. This is because, as we overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, I anticipate that humanity will encounter a wave of information disclosure (exposure), and I have been struggling with this very question. In the next reflection, I would like to consider how the realization of non-duality, which I personally value, can be reconciled with the existence of evil. This is because I also find the expression often attributed to the poet Rumi, "Beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing, there is a field I’ll meet you there," to be wonderful.