Does your evil side serve a purpose?

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It’s a battle but a worthy one. One side of us (often referred to as the flesh) lives only for personal gratification-for our pride, pleasure and desire for things. The other side (the spirit) recognizes that there’s more to this life than what we can get out of it and that those desires war against it-and seek to squelch it or convince us that it-and God for that matter- doesn’t even exist. It’s ultimately a battle between love and selfishness.
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I didn’t want to hijack another thread and hopefully this spurns a different topic.

I don’t know how many old Star Trek fans there are out there but this posted statement on another thread reminded me of an episode where the fictional Captain Kirk gets caught in a malfunctioning transporter. He is then split into 2 “Kirks” - a “Good Kirk” and an “Evil Kirk.”

The crew is confused for much of the episode, encountering each with different personalities, as they look alkike until they finally figure out.

This was an ingenious and memorable episode for Trekkies because the writers were trying to produce a commentary upon the nature of man.

In the episode, they found that Good Kirk, while nice and amiable, generally the Kirk they all knew and loved, just wasn’t able to command the Enterprise with any competency. The knew it was Evil Kirk when they had a good commander and decision-maker in the chair barking out commands.

So, in the end, the crew decides it is best to merge the two back together to produce a full functional person.

(and the episode ends with the usual reflection among the senior officers on the bridge :))

It kind of begs the question of Catholics - The more good, chaste, and honorable you become, are you becoming less functional in any way?

I have noticed for instance many “good Catholics” seem terrible with money. I am not sure if they are giving it away being charitable or are simply not that competitive in the workplace. . .it’s as if Evil Kirk has been exorcised.

Purely hypoethetical discussion. . .I guess it’s the Yin/Yang theme.

Do all of you Good Catholics want to surrender your “Evil Kirk?”

I am not sure I want my “Evil Scanner” exorcised.
 
That’s a very good question.

I am very well aware of my worst side, I am manipulative and untrusting. This has cost me some of the most important relationships in my life.

I’m in two minds what to do about it.

On the one hand, I can offer it to God, try to become a manipulator and a cynic in His service. For example, I could use these talents to advance in politics.

On the other hand, I could try to eliminate these things, and avoid all near occasions of sin. That’s the path I’ve been trying to follow lately, I warn everyone I meet, particularly women, that I manipulate people, and I try to avoid positions of authority and trust everyone, even to the point of being knowlingly taken for a ride. This path is leading me to the realisation that if I continue to follow it the only life that will be open to me is that of a consecrated hermit or a lay brother.

Not sure which of these paths is better, or somewhere in between. A Jesuit would probably say the former, a Franciscan more likely the latter. Maybe neither is wrong. Maybe this is one of those questions where it’s genuinely OK to be either, or somewhere in between, and to settle the question purely on the basis of what do I feel called to do, or even what do I want to do.

On the other hand, a friend of mine said that saints are always defined by which sin they most struggle with. For example, St Francis was a mercenary, someone who wanted money and honour, before his conversion, and is celebrated for his poverty and humility. St Paul was a Jewish extremist who hated gentiles, and is celebrated for his zealous preaching to the gentiles. Maybe the more saintly path is to deny the manipulative, cynical side completely, irrespective of the earthly consequences.
 
This is an old smear…hollyweird always portrayed a nice guy as rather simple minded,naive and who has no sense of humor etc…in other words…boring…so why be one …get it! While the evil one is more earthy,likeable,clever and just plain more fun to be with. Check em out…just read the little descriptions under each ‘classic’ movie title…the prostitute is generally the hero,warm hearted and usually has a cross hanging over the bed…gotta luv those movie producers,remember that slogan by a basically rotten person who bleated…Nice guys finish last!!!from being out of touch to also being clay footed…you know,skeltons in the closet (the nice guy has a habit of returning books late to the library…shocking …) the conditioning process is working…like Pavlovs mutts much of the public reacts on cue.I have never met a rotten evil person who was nice to be around,who was entertaining etc…for he/she would always reveal their inner evil selves…remember those prison flicks…the guards were rotten,the warden demented and the cons…just misuderstood fellows and one always a deep philosopher who ranked with StThomas and Socrates…Nino
 
Scanner said:
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Purely hypoethetical discussion. . .I guess it’s the Yin/Yang theme.

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recall the episode where they land on a planet where the Yings and Yangs are in battle with each other, after some kind of nuclear war, over ideology and way of life, and the defeated embattled Yangs (Yanks) retain some vestiges of their lost civilization, which they remember but do not understand (We hold these truths to be self evident . . . "

no I don’t think personality and ensoulment can be adequately explained in the simplistic terms of these TV writers.
 
Scanner said:
Do all of you Good Catholics want to surrender your “Evil Kirk?”

I am not sure I want my “Evil Scanner” exorcised.
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I’m not sure if it’s a “good” question. It is an eye opening question, yes. :eek: But it is never correct to feel that in some way, “evil” is a component for a well balanced human being. Evil is evil… and should be avoided, at all costs. God did not create us for evil.

I think that Our Lord illustrated this for us… when He endured the temptation in the desert. This incident is recorded for us, in the Gospels of Matthew (4:1-11)… Mark (1:12-13) and Luke (4:1-13). Through Our Lord’s example… clearly, we are called to be a holy people and avoid evil in our lives.

For anyone to make the statement “I am not sure I want my ‘Evil’ side exorcised”… is really to say, that a person wishes to cling to sinfulness. This is not what Our Lord taught us.

(Nino hit the nail right on the head. “Hollywood” does love to equate goodness with weakness. And that is a lie. It takes great strength, to be good. Pray for strength. Pray for virtue.).
 
For anyone to make the statement “I am not sure I want my ‘Evil’ side exorcised”… is really to say, that a person wishes to cling to sinfulness. This is not what Our Lord taught us.
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Oh definitely. . .guilty as charged.

I look at the best example I know of a Catholic, my Godmother. . .and while I love her, I am not sure I want to be like her. I feel to be a more functional person. . .I cling to my evil side.

If you say Hollywood is miscasting the “good guy” as boring, I would say that’s possible.

But let’s just look at real life.

Bill Clinton vs. George Bush.

$ for $, I’d say that GWB was probably the “better” guy, he seems like a guy I’d go out for a beer with. . .to many Christians, his devotion was a voting point. . .but this has been one of the worst Presidencies I can remember. Carter. . .same thing. Bill Clinton. . .pretty much a sinner. . .but guess what? The people generally thought he did a good job.

It’s oversimplistic but I think it makes for good reflection.
 
It’s ultimately self-destructive to think you have a “good side” and a “bad side”. . . this chalks up the score a little too coarsely.

We have “somewhat bad” sides and “somewhat good” sides, as well as “in-between” sides. Throwing things into black and white leads to errors in perception and understanding.

That’s about two cents of my opinion, totally for free.
 
I don’t think we should equate strength with evil. Jesus was (and of course still is) very strong, both personally and physically, but He contained no evil at all.

I think the question to ask ourselves is, “How can I achieve my (worthy) goal without committing sin?” Rather than give up on the goal just because you are not allowed to commit sin.
 
God never said doing the “right thing” was gonna be easy. In fact, He said it would probably get us persecuted-maybe even crucified. But I wouldn’t hold GWB up as an example of a role model for it in any case.
 
jmcrae said:
I don’t think we should equate strength with evil. Jesus was (and of course still is) very strong, both personally and physically, but He contained no evil at all.

I think the question to ask ourselves is, “How can I achieve my (worthy) goal without committing sin?” Rather than give up on the goal just because you are not allowed to commit sin.
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I strongly agree with this. Well said, jmcrae.

To equate evil with strength is a lie. Giving into sin (evil) is a demonstration of weakness.

It takes strength, to be good and virtuous. It takes strength to live the Gospel message. It takes strength to be a disciple of Jesus. But that strength, is available to us… for the asking. Pray for strength. Pray for courage. Pray for Perseverence in the Faith. God bless.
 
Knowing the ways of mankind, when Jesus sent His disciples into the world He told them to be shrewd as snakes but innocent as doves. Not evil, but genuinely shrewd. Not naive, but genuinely innocent.
 
Excellent point and expressed simply and clearly and also concisely!👍
Matthew Chapter 12
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33
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Either make the tree good and its fruit good: or make the tree evil, and its fruit evil. For by the fruit the tree is known. 34 O generation of vipers, how can you speak good things, whereas you are evil? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of a good treasure bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of an evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

(Jesus was addressing the pharisees, yet again trying to wake them up to themselves)
Out of anything evil, I can only imagine that evil will/would come…Blessings and with goodwill always…Barb:) *
 
I’ve been thinking about this question since my first post. I’m reminded of Aristotle, who taught that virtue is always a middle path between two evils. Moderation is the middle path between gluttony and extreme ascesis. Piety is a middle path between superstition and indifference. Both superstition and indifference are forms of the sin of impiety.

It’s wrong to think that only the side of us that makes us weak and self-deprecating is virtuous. There is a sin of self-loathing, which is very different from proper humility.
 
QUOTE] There is a sin of self-loathing, which is very different from proper humility.

…👍 …
 
I don’t think “evil” is in any way is beneficial. Evil destroys wholeness. Evil will always, only destroy.

But humanity is composed of both light and darkness. There are in us qualities suppressed and repressed that we think evil: anger, vanity, envy, certain sexual urges, etc. Rather than fearing these things, we need to embrace them, confront them, in order to turn them into creative potential. Anger becomes righteous indignation. Vanity becomes healthy self-grooming. Envy becomes normal and productive admiration leading to imitation of positive traits we see in others. We learn to view our sexuality in light of God’s plan and purpose for us. Etc.

All things work for the good of those who love God–even the bad. Even the “dark” that exists within us. Remember, as God said: “It is I who create the light and make the darkness. It is I who do these things.” The undesirable traits in ourselves, I think, are simply untapped potential–something we need to grasp. Even God, who is light, has a “dark” side: by this I simply mean his wrath and jealously and sense of vindication.

Be perfect–be whole–as your heavenly Father is perfect–is whole.
 
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