Is Satan Real?

Two nice ladies from Johovah's Witnesses dropped by. They wanted to show me a video on a phone, but I asked for a pamphlet instead. I told them I was not religious, but appreciated them dropping by. I do; even though I don't share their worldview, they thought it worthwhile to walk in the cold and face potentially hostile strangers. Certainly admirable.

The big topic they were pitching was “Is Satan Real?”. I told them I believed that evil is within all of us, and we must remain ever vigilant against it.

The brief encounter got me thinking more. It saddens me to realize that Satan does not need to be real. Left to our own devices, humans have proven more than capable of creating and enacting every form of horror and evil imaginable.

The greatest tragedy in creation is that beings that are able to experience joy and suffering can also experience joy at the suffering of others.

We have mirror neurons that allow us to feel as others do, that allow us to have compassion. Even animals have some form of this, which is why your dog is unlikely to bite your finger off. But somehow, we (and our fellow animals) are able to get into a state where these signals are reversed.

All of the most evil behavior we see in the world is just an extension of the psychology around schoolyard bullying. If you read the description and replace “bully" with “country" or “organization” or “hashtag”, it is the same pattern. If we can find out how to stop the vicious cycle of kids bullying other kids, we can stop the madness that happens when those kids grow up.

Related: Society.