Post by NFA on Feb 24, 2021 18:39:03 GMT 8
The Denial of Evil: The Case of Communism
If you don't hate Communism, you don't care about, much less love, people.
By Dennis Prager February 23, 2021
amgreatness.com/2021/02/23/the-denial-of-evil-the-case-of-communism/
If you don't hate Communism, you don't care about, much less love, people.
By Dennis Prager February 23, 2021
amgreatness.com/2021/02/23/the-denial-of-evil-the-case-of-communism/
One of the most highly regarded books of the 20th century was Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death. Winner of the 1974 Pulitzer Prize, the book is regarded as a classic for its analysis of how human beings deny their mortality.
But there is something people deny more than mortality: evil. Someone should write a book on the denial of evil; that would be much more important because while we cannot prevent death, we can prevent evil.
The most glaring example of the denial of evil is Communism, an ideology that, within a period of only 60 years, created modern totalitarianism and deprived of human rights, tortured, starved, and killed more people than any other ideology in history.
...
Why is it important that everyone know what Communism did?
Here are three reasons:
First, we have a moral obligation to the victims not to forget them.
....
Second, the best way to prevent an evil from reoccurring is to confront it in all its horror.
The fact that many people today, especially young people, believe Communism is a viable—even morally superior—option for modern societies proves they know nothing about Communism’s moral record.
Therefore, they do not properly fear Communism—which means this evil could happen again.
...
That brings us to reason number three.
The leaders of Communist regimes and the vast number of people who helped those leaders torture, enslave and murder—plus the many more people who reported on their neighbors for saying something objectionable to the Communists—were nearly all normal people.
Of course, some were psychopaths, but most were not.
Which proves that any society—including free ones—can devolve into communism or some analogous evil.
...
People associate evil with darkness.
But that is not accurate: It is easy to look into the dark; it is very hard to stare into bright light.
One should therefore associate evil with extreme brightness, given that people rarely look at real evil.
And those who do not confront real evil often make up evils (such as “systemic racism,” “toxic masculinity” and “heteronormativity” in 21st-century America) that are much easier to confront.
The Book of Psalms states, “Those of you who love God—you are to hate evil.”
In other words, you can’t love God if you don’t hate evil.
And if you don’t believe in God, here’s another way of putting it: “Those of you who love people—you are to hate evil.”
If you don’t hate Communism, you don’t care about, much less love, people.
But there is something people deny more than mortality: evil. Someone should write a book on the denial of evil; that would be much more important because while we cannot prevent death, we can prevent evil.
The most glaring example of the denial of evil is Communism, an ideology that, within a period of only 60 years, created modern totalitarianism and deprived of human rights, tortured, starved, and killed more people than any other ideology in history.
...
Why is it important that everyone know what Communism did?
Here are three reasons:
First, we have a moral obligation to the victims not to forget them.
....
Second, the best way to prevent an evil from reoccurring is to confront it in all its horror.
The fact that many people today, especially young people, believe Communism is a viable—even morally superior—option for modern societies proves they know nothing about Communism’s moral record.
Therefore, they do not properly fear Communism—which means this evil could happen again.
...
That brings us to reason number three.
The leaders of Communist regimes and the vast number of people who helped those leaders torture, enslave and murder—plus the many more people who reported on their neighbors for saying something objectionable to the Communists—were nearly all normal people.
Of course, some were psychopaths, but most were not.
Which proves that any society—including free ones—can devolve into communism or some analogous evil.
...
People associate evil with darkness.
But that is not accurate: It is easy to look into the dark; it is very hard to stare into bright light.
One should therefore associate evil with extreme brightness, given that people rarely look at real evil.
And those who do not confront real evil often make up evils (such as “systemic racism,” “toxic masculinity” and “heteronormativity” in 21st-century America) that are much easier to confront.
The Book of Psalms states, “Those of you who love God—you are to hate evil.”
In other words, you can’t love God if you don’t hate evil.
And if you don’t believe in God, here’s another way of putting it: “Those of you who love people—you are to hate evil.”
If you don’t hate Communism, you don’t care about, much less love, people.