The Devil’s Notebook.
I have been thinking recently about the evolution of evil.
How innocently it begins, how invisibly it grows.
The D/evil is in the details
His first trick is to encourage a sense of entitlement.
I deserve it. It is my just due.
Add to this a touch of envy. Memetic desire.
I want it (and deserve it) because you have it.
Why should Bill Gates have so much and I so little.?
When my (impossible) expectations are not fulfilled I become resentful,
My sympathy turns into antipathy.
Resentment morphs into paranoia. I imagine that the other –my neighbor, my mate– is hostile to
me, withholding, cheating, not giving me my just share of cash or care.
I give more than I get.
Paranoia leads to creating a fortress —the self puts on its character armor, the nation builds its defenses
The quest for revenge emerges as a perverted demand for justice. Defeating, humiliating or killing the
enemy sets the world right, balances the scales. Withholding love and punishing the other allows me
to get even. You only got what you deserved, what was coming to you.
Once established the cycle of resentment and revenge becomes autonomous of its origins, a
self-reinforcing feedback loop in which hostile expectation become self-fulfilling prophecies.
To escape the grip of the Devil. I must practice living with a sense of gratitude for what has been
given me. My life is a gift, not an entitlement. You—my mate, my child, my neighbor do not owe me
love (although I am entitled to civility and justice)
Dr. Sam Keen,
Thank you for your new book, “Absence of God” which I saw in the book store last night, and I am still reading the book. I read your book, “Hymns to an Unknown God” about seven years ago.
I have just published my second book, “Spiritual Intelligence and The Neuroplastic Brain.” I have cited your works in two of my books. I had never seen your picture till last night. I am deeply moved getting to know a person like you through your works: simple, deep, profound, and an eminent scholar. I hope more people come to know about your writings. Of course, I will be quoting you in my presentations.
With every good wish,
Charles Mark
Dear Mr. Keen,
I read your “Loving Arts” interview at the “YES Magazine” site. I loved it! The only thing I find myself considering (as I have for some time now) is the definition of: Intimacy. I think the word has been taken captive by the mainstream to be equal to being sexual. On the contrary, I have had many intimate relationships and experiences, many of which were not sexual in any way. My relationship with my four children is a good example. To me, intimacy means deep closeness. I have a desire to become closer to the heart of life… this is a desire for intimacy.
I will read more of you… thanks!
Peace and Namaste, Oh Be