Have you ever met a truly evil person?

1. 83

   Marcy Goodfleischposted 8 years ago

   Have you ever met a truly evil person?
   
   Some people think there's no such thing as evil. What do you think?  Have you met someone you believe was evil?  How did you know?

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2. 86

   B. Leekleyposted 8 years ago

   My understanding is that evil does not exist in the abstract but always as a  quality of an act. For instance, an intentional lie that causes another person pain and misfortune is an evil act, and the person who told it might have a habit of telling lies that harm others (or a habit of stealing or a habit of ridiculing others or a habit of committing wage theft or whatever the evil acts may be) But a person who commits evil acts is not evil because reform, a change of attitude and habitual behavior, is always a possibility. That is, no one has an inherent, unchangable, essential  evil nature.
   
   I like the Edward Wallis Hoch quote:
   "There is so much good in the worst of us,
   And so much bad in the best of us,
   That it hardly behooves any of us
   To talk about the rest of us."
   
   A related question is whether an act to be evil must it be an act of free will, a human act? Is it an evil act for a tornado to destroy homes or for a lion to kill and eat a lamb?
   
   Labelling another person as evil is never a justification for committing an evil act against that person.

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   1. 60

      adagio4639posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I really like your answer, and find that I agree with what you say.

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3. 61

   fpherj48posted 8 years ago

   Marcy......I believe I have met numerous people who certainly appeared to be quite evil in thought, words and actions. One man in particular seemed to exude darkness & negativity and cause a lot of whisperings behind his back.  I thought it appeared he instilled a sort of fear in others, almost as if doing so purposely.  If it was all some stupid act or if he was in fact mentally ill, I never really discovered the answer to that.  I tend to steer clear of individuals who give off strong enough vibes to make me uncomfortable. 
   IMHO, someone has to possess a certain amount of evil to have it show through all the time to everyone around them. 
   On the other hand, strangely enough, the most truly (and proven) evil person I ever knew on a personal level, gave very few if any clues or signals of being soul-less (or as my Dad would say, "a human without a conscience")  He seemed like "the guy next door" which we're finding out these days turns out to be the worst person to ever live next door to!!  Yes, he was ultimately arrested & charged with serial rape/murder.  What was even more egregious, there was another totally innocent man (a little mentally slow)...who had been found guilty & spent many years behind bars for the crimes.  2 of the women who had lived, identified him.  When this was all exposed, the likeness between the men was uncanny.....mind blowing.   
   The innocent man was freed and compensated, Thank God....and the truly evil one was locked up forever.  I'd say that's a doubly evil person.

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   1. 38

      ChristinSposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, scary and sad that the mentally challenged man took the fall. Unfortunately, the mental health crisis in this country is off the chain - but that's another subject. Glad they caught the real culprit.

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   2. 61

      fpherj48posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      the rest of my sentence was "just to be aware."   I hate when it says you still have 4 characters left & U end ur comment & it LOOKS fine, but when it posts, you're missing the last few characters.  The counter must be OFF!  LOL

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4. 38

   ChristinSposted 8 years ago

   I am biologically related to someone who is a raging sociopath.  Thankfully my exposure to this person was limited, but sadly for those whose lives were destroyed, they were not as lucky as I was.  Yes, this person was born bad and honestly, I do not believe most people are.  I think that most who turn to "evil" do so by choice and due to examples in their lives.  The person I am referring to had no such issues and showed signs from a young age that something wasn't right.  I believe the part of the brain where the conscience is formed is just absent in some people - it just never develops.  This leads them to have the capability to do evil and simply not care.  Scary, real and sad.  Thankfully, also quite rare. 
   
   This person was/is very clever also and able to manipulate people with an ease that boggles the mind.  Smart sociopaths/psychopaths are the worst because they are smart, they simply don't care and do as they please and often get away with it for extended periods of time.

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   1. 61

      fpherj48posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Chris..U just gave me goosebumps up & down my spine! Sadly the world is rampant w/ these creatures. Fortunately if we can recognize them, we can do our best to avoid them & protect ourselves & loved ones.Everyone should KNOW one,just to b

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5. 86

   bravewarriorposted 8 years ago

   I've met people who are negative and critical, but I've never met anyone who is truly evil. I've been a victim of a few evil people, but they were total strangers, so my answer has to be 'no'.

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6. 56

   Cammy Waltersposted 8 years ago

   Yes, for one, they have a "different" air about them.  Also, their actions will always give them away.  As one put it once, "They have a twisted sense of right."

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7. 58

   firework23posted 8 years ago

   I believe that is relative to openness. I was married to a man who quickly became abusive in every meaning of the word and confessed to me (very early within the marriage) that if it weren't for me marrying him he would have been a serial killer. Throughout the marriage he discussed methods he would use while I would debunk them. The physical violence toward me stopped after I fought back. He still had alot of trouble with alcohol. Eventually I divorced him (9 years in). He was mean at first until I told him he would lose me as a friend ifhe continued. We ended up be much better as friends and my caring nature rubbed off on him. Sadly, 7 years of friendship later, he committed suicide. I miss him to this day. My point is, someone that appears evil could just be really hurting inside and be the type of person that makes the worst choices because of it.

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8. 83

   gmwilliamsposted 6 years ago

   Yes, there are truly evil people in the world.  Some of the people who act & appear good are the most evil people imaginable.  Not all evil people are overt in their expressions & actions.  Some of the most evil people are covert in their expressions & actions, appearing to be "so nice", even "sweet."   Such "niceness" & "sweetness" belie their evil, even demonic nature.  Remember the phrase, wolves in sheep's clothing.
   

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