Fighting evil

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, according to Edmund Burke, an Irish statesman, is for good people to do nothing. Sociologists also agree that indifference and apathy causes more harm to social ideals than the wrongdoings of criminals.
Have we, as individuals and as a nation, resigned ourselves to our fate? What are the costs and benefits of speaking the truth and standing up for justice? We may not be able to root out evil once and for all but fighting it with full force is what differentiates us from wild creatures.
Evil is what hinders human development today or tomorrow and anywhere in the world. Anthropologists suggest that the genesis of evil is man’s instinctual urge to survive. Although there is nothing bad with ‘survival instinct’ per se, the way man has historically struggled for it has most often caused large-scale destruction. Much of what man has created – technology, state, and in some cases religion – is the outcome of an inner drive to avoid extinction or some kind of paralysis.
Fighting evil physically is one of the many options available – not the only one. Using physical force to subdue evil is, no doubt, tempting and sometimes reassuring for quick results but it does not guarantee victory. It may also create ‘shock and awe’ in the heart of the evil-doer but it does not promise nirvana. Its turn, in the final scheme of things, should come when all other options have been explored and exhausted.
Evil in all its forms and manifestations should be understood as a kind of disease in the human body. Every disease has causes and symptoms that call for unique intervention in every patient. A professional medical practitioner would advise surgery only in exceptional cases and that too under the umbrella of general medicine.
Use of force would do little to eliminate evil from society if the institutions created for socialisation (education in particular), economic development, and political participation remain dormant.
One of the proven ways of eliminating evil from society is to set a personal example. All the Prophets (peace be upon them) and saints made strenuous efforts to purify their souls before asking others to follow them. They conquered themselves by eliminating or controlling base desires such as lust for power and wealth, vanity, and envy.
Great people, however, did not remain indifferent to social obligations. They were convinced that if left unchecked, the evil would keep spreading in the environment they lived in which in turn would have a profound impact on the way individuals think and behave.
Noah (pbuh) stood up against the majority for protecting the rights of minorities to preserve justice; Abraham (pbuh) went through various trials and tribulations to liberate people from the tyranny of Nimrod; and the last Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had to fight on many fronts against evil that existed in the form of ignorance, tribal cult, and social injustice.
In the recent past, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela fought vigorously but peacefully against racial discrimination; Gandhi and Quaid-e-Azam (and many others) effectively organised and mobilised people against colonisation and imperialism whereas Marx and Mao worked against the unjust capitalist system and envisioned a classless society.
The world we live in is still far from perfect. Most people still live in abject poverty which breeds violence and crime. The prevailing global economic system does not afford equal opportunities for growth and development. Income disparity between and within countries is widening every day. Discrimination on the basis of colour, race, and creed is still there. Exploitation and repression are still in vogue.
The logic of power is still dominant over the power of logic. We cannot change human nature but we can build institutions to check and channelise human behaviour in the right direction.
The writer teaches at FAST-NU, Peshawar.
Email: zeb.khan@nu.edu.pk