Evil at the Core
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
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Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: pauljernberg.com
My family and I recently went on a few hikes in the Rocky Mountains and there was one particular hike that was such a spectacle, in every direction you turned, that I was reminded of an anecdote that CS Lewis introduces in his book, the Abolition of Man, which, by the way, I believe is one of the most important modern books I’ve ever read.
He treats a scenario in which two people are observing the same waterfall and in which two people could have different responses to that encounter. You could say something like, “It is majestic, it is beautiful, it is sublime.” Or, you could say, I am experiencing sublime feelings, I am in awe.
And the difference between these two reactions, can reveal to us the very heart of human evil. Take any obvious example of evil that we can point to and you will find the same common denominator among them all - the same erroneous pattern of thinking and the behaviour that proceeds from it, is at the root of all evil.
This is what New Age teaches - me, myself, I, my truth, my feelings, my ego.
I stopped going to Protestant churches because all the pastors seem to make it about themselves. Thinking about Catholicism. I’m new here. Great videos.
Please attrnd a Tradional Latin Mass 🙏
Welcome home
Welcome!!
thats pretty anecdotal...
If you are lucky enough to find a reverent Ordinary form Mass or a Traditional Latin Mass then I can promise you that the priest will never make the Mass about themselves. It’s one of my favorite things about Holy Mother Church
We have invented our own Trinity...Me, Myself and I...Yes, evil is real!
Excellent. So well described. Truly that is what has happened to modern mankind.
Exactly
Me, myself and my phone.
Excellent statement! We have.
There is even a song called like this by Beyonce
On point. This (Christian) knowledge needs to be brought back into the mainstream discourse and value system.
Man Brian, you are always so freaking on point. I mean, it isn't too tough to call out what's wrong with out current society but you do it so eloquently and with such respect it is admirable.
Despite working a long day, 8AM-9PM taking care of others, it was nice to see a new video from you, as announced on Catholic social media. I was planning to tune to mindless entertainment, but this was the better choice by far. There is beauty in excellent reasoning. The best reasoning doesn't require a lot of brain power to follow along, speaking as an observer. There are no convoluted twists and turns of logic to turn a tired brain into a blob of jelly. This argument is a thing of beauty.
3 Aves for you 🌹🌹🌹🙏🏻 that this channel may be for the Lord's work ✝️📿🙏🏻
I'm always grateful to see your comments and the assurance of your prayers.
Trying following Lewis in “miracles”. Ahah. Its worth the extra energy/focus
I just came across your fed with the podcast "I am struggling" the other day. I was astounded how you articulated all my feelings (and much more eloquently than I could). I fear I see too much of myself in what you are saying today so that will give me a lot of food for thought. Thank you again for being clear and concise.
Same.... i hesitate to type i....
but here goes, i relate to subjectivism. i will be working to look and perceive outside of me.
@@BlindFaith777 I agree with looking at the outside perspective. I’d say do so with careful balance. We are still subjective beings, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Lest, faith would mean nothing. Faith is subjective. We are bound from entirely perceiving outside ourselves because we aren’t God. Of course, we should aim to do see the outside and appreciate it, but in balance with our subjective experience.
Good for you Mary, transformation through the Holy Spirit starts with self honesty, you made the first step to being the person he wants you to be 😊
You came close to decyphering the original sin, Brian: "you will be like Gods, knowing good and evil" - thus, God as an external "Object" was replaced by our selves as "gods" - that's how we switched off the light, and now live in darkness. Thanks, good video.
I'd love to discuss more about this. I attribute two things to the Originating Sin:
1.-Hypocrissy (thinking that we can be good in and of ourselves)
2.-Pride, thinking that we can replace God.
All this under the light that God is the Ipssum Essem and we're through Him and Because of Him.
@@einarabelc5 As the Bible says, God is light, and there's no darkness in God. Therefore, everything else is part of light only as a function of being in union with God. It is not possible for anything to know "darkness" and still stay within light. Therefore, if you want to know "darkness", you have to leave light (which is exactly what we did) - you have to separate from God completely. And enter darkness. Which is not a very good place to be, right? Therefore, you need God again, to extract you from darkness - that is why God the Father sent His Son - to rescue you from darkness, hell, and sin (which, basically, are all the same swamp of death). That is what we did - we fell into death from Paradise at the very beginning, and now God rescues us from Hell. So, we must obey God's Word, cause there's no ill will in God, and not believe the serpent, cause that sucker only utters lies (sorry, but it's true).
@@perazdera2827 When referring to men and women as a group, masculine pronouns trump. At least that's the way it used to be. In this context therefore, men means mankind. Also, there's the whole "and they became one flesh" thing. Marriage makes two people one unit, or it's supposed to help bring about that end anyway. So Adam and Eve could be referred to as "one."
@Pera Zdera Nope, it was not Adam nor Eve who were the first one(s) to sin. 1 John 3:8: the one who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning - so, it was the devil who was the first one ever to sin. You may refer to the devil / satan as an "author" of sin. The rest is subject to speculation, but I fear it might be sinful and not safe to speculate on God's Word, so I wouldn't venture into that territory, Pera Zdera. After all, wasn't that what started the whole ordeal of ours from the very beginning - "speculating" on God's Word? ;) Good luck, dear.
There's only one true God
My journey through RCIA was brimming with subjectivity until the RCIA team was replaced (which I unwittingly caused) near the end of my THIRD year.
Right on the mark, as always, Brian. Your presentations are truly inspiring and uplifting. Please continue with this invaluable apostolate, brother.
now we have a whole month dedicated to pride, and we wonder why we are where we are
Yeah. Which month I think used to be dedicated to the Sacred Heart ❤️
people say that it's good to have some pride. Pride is one of the 7 deadly sins. We should have no pride. I take pride in nothing. Pride is evil. I've had it before, and God crushed it. A part of me was crushed too. Self esteem and confidence are good. Saying "I can do it, I know how to do it, I have what it takes." is confidence, and believing in yourself. Thay's a good thing. Pride is believing that you can do anything without God, and that you don't need him. That is pride. I honestly won't be suprised if there will be a "gluttony month", "Sloth month", or "Lust Month". I see all 3 very prevalent of society.
@@kennotrogzeug7012 I agree wholeheartedly. The fast and loose way the English (I can't speak for others I only speak the one) language throws around the word Pride when they mean satisfaction is truly disturbing. "I am proud of my work" is a phrase that would be considered very innocent, because what they mean is I am satisfied by the work I did here. "I am proud of you" is another one, but what they mean you have done an excellent job I am pleased you have succeeded. I choose to live as much as possible with as little sense of ego as I can. I look back and say "a good job was done" and that's enough, or "I am happy for you" for the other phrase. As for Pride month I think they have taken the idea of not being ashamed of themselves much too far. It's a deadly pendulum effect and I always try to pull people out of it when the opportunity arises.
Exactly. Many people turn everything into it being about them . The participation trophy 🏆 generation . God Bless 🕊🙏🏼
Leave off about the participation trophies, for pity's sake. The kids didn't institute them and they weren't for the kids anyway. They're for the parents and they're at the expense of the children.
I don’t think this evil is inherent to one generation. It’s as old as man.
Brian, this is probably one of your most insightful videos ever! It's a game-changer for me. Thank you so much. May God bless all of us.
Agreed 💯
Realize I have alot of work to do re-examining what I have been prioritizing.
It was Lewis, Adler and MacIntyre that unshackled me from the atheism of my youth. They showed me how warped modern morality had become. Looking around, you see a common commitment to determinism, relativism and sophistry. Everything ends up in solipsism. Everything is up for grabs. Look where it’s gotten us. Nietzsche, Ayers, Sartre, Benatar, Singer. These are the idols of today. Reject them. Go back to virtue.
How long did it take for you before you trusted God?
Read books by Secular Humanists. They are definitely not relativists. They teach we can know good form evil form intellect alone, without God.
@@michaelflores9220 Who do you recommend?
@@bookishbrendan8875 Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Andrea Dworkin.
@@michaelflores9220 I outgrew Hitchens in my early 20’s. He said a lot to say very little. Harris is the opposite. Harris tend to be clear to the point of reductionism. The only one who I would see as worthy of studying is Dworkin, and I’m not even a feminist. At least she had some interesting and salient points.
And that is why “how does (x,y, or z) make YOU feel” is such a sad question.
Yes-and you are describing modern psychotherapy!
Pride. Lewis opened my eyes to pride at the core of all sin and evil.
Subjectivism prideful? The waterfall story just shows believers want people to think that beauty exists outside of them be it may because it's useful to ground meaning and morals. They're not interested in truth unless it fits morality
This makes me think of another quote from C.S. Lewis: "The gates of Hell are locked from the inside."
Brian, you are gifted by the Holy Spirit! You really know how to put things together! I especially loved this presentation because I am an outdoorswoman with a passion for waterfalls and hiking and every time I come upon a majestic waterfall or a scenic mountain vista I become overwhelmed to the point of tears and thank God for allowing me to see His beautiful creations and say a Rosary while enjoying His masterpieces!! 🙏🌲
Beautiful reflection. Beautiful delivery.
Watching the tree of life movie still leaves me in Awe. The cinematography is sublime. Literally puts me in different realm and one closer to the creator at that.
I was just thinking yesterday how it is not science we worship today, it is ourselves. Science and biology have clear limits and boundaries but we have started to think that we can defy those, that we can be anything, like gods. Everyone else should agree to our version of the truth. How there seems to be no ultimate truth, right or wrong anymore, just "your truth".
Yes, I get "subjectivism," and even worse when it becomes a "moral relativism," but on the other hand, the waterfall is an inanimate, unconscious object. Evil can also exist in making it into an idol, admiring it for its power and wonder, treating it like an idol of worship - it, it, it - a pure "pantheism" of experience, rather than a realization of its creation and its Creator. Contrastingly, a person in whose subjectivity knows to raise his/her inner eyes to the Creator, it isn't necessarily evil to marvel and realize inner feelings of wonder, awe, and excitement. After all, whether subject or inanimate object, it is only the live subject who is perceiving either way. Hence, as the subject and the only one having the unfolding experience of the object, the evil is not where the subject experiences the object, whether subjectively or objectively, but what I do with that experience and how I order it in right relationship with all of creation (which includes subject) in God and in God's gift of creation to us.
Very apt
The perception/experience of the True the Good and the Beautiful is always in relationship to God whether we realize it or not as the source of all. I think that the divorce of nature( physical) apart from us is part of the problem as we have a human nature both physical and supernatural which are both created by God as is "nature". A possible problem is the missing awareness of the Fallennness of Nature ourselves included. We can have a sense that it was not always this way that there was a time when nature was perfect in a created sense before it fell. The temptation here is that I/we can recreate/make perfect fallen nature by our own will and intelligence. This is called messianic materialism and can deceive us into all kinds of well-meaning projects but at root, some of them are just that messianic materialism laking in any relationship to God and His Word/revelation about our fallen nature, evil, and His redemption of nature(us included) that won't be(can't be) fully realize until the only and true Messiah comes in the fullness of time recreating us in His glory body and soul in the new Heaven and Earth. Maranatha! The Spirit and the Bride say come! Amen Come Lord Jesus!
@@Ronsuestmartin Yes, I can see that as a possibility, but my comment was far from that pitfall. There is simply nothing wrong with realizing inner aspirations of awe and wonder within oneself which is otherwise rightly ordered. Evil is a void, not an existent thing. There's no void in feelings within us inspired by God or springing up from our human creation. I'm just defending against any insinuation that experience is necessarily evil when subjective. That's error in the other extreme.
@@jtg3765 To paraphrase The Angelic Doctor, the passions are neither good nor evil. They are morally qualified to the extent that they engage reason and will and they are to be governed by reason. So as we observe good and evil in the world, the passions that are stirred up in our hearts are good to the degree that they are in accord with reason.
Yes .. there's a big middle way between 'the objective waterfall is beautiful' and 'my subjective feelings are beautiful'. That is: 'the objective waterfall is objectively beautiful for me and to me as the subjective observer' -- and, I might add, enabling and inviting me, as a subjective actor, to respond well - and to say yes to the Creator. As St John Paul II, whose feast is this Friday, was exploring, there is a good, important Phenomenology.
Excellent. Going with your example of something awe-inspiring in nature, for many years I've marveled at the all that has to have existed in nature that is truly awe-inspiring that no human ever saw or experienced. All created for His pleasure? That is my thought
On my trip to Norway I had very similar thoughts. You see - one of the things that really caught my attention, was that people were doing 1,000 photos of the same thing. Horrifyingly, sometimes they would see something only through their phone cameras.
I reflected on why does this happen, and I found it - people want to make it about themselves.
"It is ME who took the photo, I contributed to it. Maybe I even physically am at the photograph. Oh, look how talented I am. Look how rich I am to afford being in all those places..."
It also is strictly connected to the evils of social media.
love your edits man, though I do not believe social media is intrinsically evil it certainly lends itself to pride
I take a gazillion photos because I know I won't be able to remember everything without a picture to remind me. My friends complain that I don't take any pictures of myself, but I'm not what I want to remember. So don't assume ugly things about everyone who takes photos. Maybe they just need to have something to bring back happy memories when times are hard.
@@user-sx7wt6lw2c If you are watching Brian’s video, you are using social media.
So is social media evil?
I catch myself doing it all the time, but sometimes It is about the desired to share with others.
God bless you brother and your family
I have noticed that in new age "spiritual" circles there is always a focus on the self and no attempt to see and seek the good of others.
I am part of the "new age spiritual thought" what ever that means. Right above my bed is this quote . He who is greatest amoung you let him serve the rest. All my spiritual friends believe like I do.
Thank you for this. God bless you!
Thank you Brian. Brilliant. Nice hike too!
We must each realize the tendencies we face regarding narcissism, and stay vigilant against those temptations.
That was truly excellent. You have a great insight into the topic and opened my mind to something I hadn't considered to the extent you presented it. Thanks!
To me, sometimes despair enters into this formula. One can see it repowering evil. If I don’t get the sense that a politician is submitting to a higher power, I drop him as evil, especially in that arena of power.
i recall reading somewhere that CS Lewis wrote his Space Trilogy as an example of what he was talking about in THE ABOLITION OF MAN
I have to say, after listening to Brian, he is correct. I live in Bristol, England. Many dark souls around here. But a few lights remain.
Godbless you all
Moved to Medicine Hat last year from out east. It's absolutely stunning the difference in attitudes, even across the same country.
Great insight! Thank you for sharing!
The right approach I believe is to seek God out there and also in ourselves, find the objective outwarldy and also inwardly and in that process we will notice that many things in us are wrong and also that many things in the world are wrong, and we must focus our sole attention to God.
When we Crown ourselves King, we diminish ourselves and trivialize the Universe.
I didn’t understand this at first but now I get it. Roger Scruton and CS Lewis went hard in this too
New subscriber here and fellow Edmontonian here that accidentally stumbled across your channel 😁 your thoughts draw so many parallels to the ideologies of the new age generation, the toxic self love industry and the current what I would describe as the "self "identity crisis the world happens to be enmeshed in. Everything surrounds our happiness , our feelings, our emotions so on and so on. It absolutely and unequivocally is contributing to the decline of morality.
@Sandi Stark
"New subscriber here and fellow Edmontonian here that accidentally stumbled across your channel"
There is a phrase I use, "You Never Know What You'll, until you Look.
I call it the iGod movement
@@templarrain2369
iGod movement?
@@stevenwiederholt7000 Every man as the center of the universe. This unfettered supposed freedom becomes slavery instead of real freedom.
Superb video, thanks
When I see something so Beautiful so Majestic I always say WOW GOD IS AMAZING LOOK AT THAT WATERFALL (in this case) AND I SAY LOOK AT THE POWER AND BEAUTY OF GOD IT TAKES MY BREATH AWAY ,AND IT JUST SHOWS ME MORE OF WHO GOD IS!!!🙏🙏💕💕💕💕🇺🇸🇺🇸
I sooo agree. Godbless from Poland.
Spot on directly at me!! I fall into this during my bouts with depression. Thank you for pointing this out so I can be more aware and pray for the people like me struggling with mental illness that may just be from growing up in the most selfish generations.
Excellent observation
Great CS Lewis quote . .be prepared for the shit storm ahead .hang on to your faith above all.
Profound reflection, thank you Brian. A wise Priest told me to seek JOY - JESUS, Others, you. 🙂
Really enjoying your videos, valuable insight and message!
Love this perspective.
Thank you
I give this explanation to my nervous voice students. I try to get them to think about the music and not themselves. As soon as that sinks in they start picking better pieces and are more free while performing.
Really great food for thought. Great way to sum things up.
Brian, I will be sending you my recently published novel that is set in Alberta during the Second World War for this novel very much covers what you are speaking about in this video. The title of the novel is Picinic On Raspberry Island. I will try and send it to your offices tomorrow. Thank you for your excellent videos.
Excellent!!!!
I find it liberating to celebrate Mass facing the Tabernacle ad orientem; it mitigates the temptation to sacerdotal subjectivism and narcissism engendered by being the maître d'hôtel or the warden of the panopticon.
This reminds me of my days back in therapy where the well-behaved kid is given the "thinking of you" label while the obnoxious kid is given the "just me" label
God bless you Brian! The way you articulate concepts is amazing, I can't help but binge your videos.
So good.
great discussion
Ive been a subsvriber for 2 days and all I can say is WELCOME HOME! as a cradle catholic since birth I am thankful for you guys who release and share videos like this.
Thank You
Its always great to know that the Catholic Family worldwide is growing
Thank you for letting yourself be used by the grace of the holy spirit by sharing these videos and your thoughts
You guys indeed are blessings
Be safe and healthy always Sending digital hugs from Manila :D
Well spoken
Well done.
Incredibly important message -- thank you, Brian. One of the greatest recent videos out there -- as you note, while subtle, this point is crucial for us all to recognize.
The irony, or maybe even satanic twist, is that this subjectivism cloacks itself in humility. It will argue: who am I to say something about (to judge) the external object, I can only say something about my perception. And so the virtue of humility is corrupted as well.
The pretense of humility, is indeed a way to disguise "self adoration"
Great explanation
As my pastor put it "your life is not about you."
Beautiful and true. It is sadly something I have all too often fallen into. This was a super reminder and lesson.
Thanks you! 🙏
Good stuff here Brian
Thankyou man
What a fantastic man .he brings his point across perfectly
You just put words to a nebulous thing I've been trying to define/describe for years. Thank you! (Now I guess I need to read some more C.S. Lewis. 😊)
Superb! Extremely well done! Thank you for all your efforts and God bless you abundantly!
I think this is an excellent analogy. Especially for the wicked announcements that have been coming out as of late from various governments in the Vatican. All of this environmentalism is nothing more than a idol for the sake of self gratification in awarding self congratulations. God the Father said subdue the Earth. He gave the Earth He created to man. But man has turned the Earth in all its contents into idols for his own self gratification. Inventing wicked rules to congratulate oneself when the true sin is they've put everything before the laws of God. Environmentalism is nothing more than living in the now and not paying attention to eternity. God gave us the environment for exactly the reason you say. Is to hold God the Father Himself in awe.
Abolition of Man is incredible
Oh Brian listening to this was a revelation… I just realised I’m a narcissist posing as a good person 🥺
God bless you for this insight, and God bless God for His patience and mercy!
Beautiful! Thank you 😊
Brian, yes! You are such a deep thinker who sees the big picture. Please keep making these videos. You are a global influencer! And the world needs your influence and especially the Word of God more now than ever.
This is the insight that brought me back to the Catholic Church.
Thank you. This help me a lot to understand deeply...
In the 12 step recovery movement to which I belong (Alcoholics Anonymous is the most famous of these) we believe wholeheartedly that selfishness is the root of our human problem - here's a favourite quote from 12 step literature:
Selfishness - self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt.
Gratitude is one of the most important gifts from God. The challenge here is not conflating and objects subjects into idles or supplanting them with the concepts of a virtuous and superior materialism that obscure the true source of love, truth and beauty.
Yes. There's a big middle way between 'the objective waterfall is beautiful' and 'my subjective feelings are beautiful'. That is: 'the objective waterfall is objectively beautiful for me and to me as the subjective observer' -- and, I might add, enabling and inviting me, as a subjective actor, to respond well, to say yes to the Creator. As St John Paul II, whose feast is this Friday, was exploring, there is a good, important Phenomenology.
Praise God, for all your depth of insight into the human nature, at your relatively young age.👍
Brian, you nailed it yet again.
You inspire thought. Thank you for your work.
This is so nails! Well done and spot on. Thank you
Great point. Similarly, a good parent will respond to a child's accomplishments by saying, "Good work." A bad parent will respond by saying "I'm so proud."
@Aqua Fyre You're giving us the English verse. Which would likely have been translated from the Latin verse. Which would have been translated from the Greek verse.
@@KeepingTheIronThroneWarm And?
Beautiful.
There are issues with totally rejecting the subjective. For example, I do and should appreciate a delicious meal for what it is, a delicious meal, and not as a meal that I liked. But I also must recognize that not everyone will like it or find it to be delicious.
Imposing our perception on others is not always good. The importance is determining which beliefs and perceptions we will compromise on and which we will not, and to leave our own desires and wants out of that decision.
I took up painting a few years ago… when I see a beautiful landscape , sky, etc I immediately wonder how I would paint it. I take delight in noticing sublimity which before I would walk past. Is this morally healthy or am I being self centred? I will light a candle for you, your family and your channel at church today. Best wishes.
If, after doing a painting of the sight you admired, you acknowledge His creation and offer it up for His glory, then you are not being self-centered. That is to say, the inspiration to paint what you see is not of you, but of Him working through you. If you sincerely acknowledge that and give glory and thanks to God for His creation and for the inspiration and talent to paint as He would have you paint, then you are merely allowing yourself to be His instrument. Blessings to you, sister.
Yes! That's what I realized a few years ago when I was a catechist. From all the seven deadly sins I think the worst is pride cause it's about thinking that everything's about you and fulfilling your our own personal desires no matter what. I think all the other six sins are an effect of that one. That's why the Church encourage us the importance of obedience cause is the opposite of pride. That's the major attribute of our Blessed Mother.
Excellent….yes. Thank you.
You have a gift for simplifying the complex, which in turn pulls the curtain back revealing that the complex isn't all that complex at all. The devil lives in this perceived complexity, right under our noses. How easily you exposed him in this presentation. Too bad cloning is unethical, because a few hundred Professor Holdsworths turned loose in the university system could do a world of good. Gid bless you and your online presence.
I believe its the synergy of the waterfall and your perception of it which are the substance of the experience. Just as the synergy of good and evil are the substance of life
I definitely see where you’re coming from with this, but I think it can also work the other way. Sometimes evil comes from conflating object and subject in the _other_ direction.
An 18th or 19th century colonialist, for instance, might justify genocide by saying that their victims are “a savage race” or something similar, projecting that as an objective truth about the indigenous culture in question, when in reality he might want to consider how much of this is his own subjective feelings about traits of the indigenous culture (eg is he repulsed by the fact that they wear less clothing or have ritualistic tattoos or something).
None of this is to disagree with what you said in the example of the child molester, and I think you’re correct that ego is important in these cases, but considering one’s subjective point of view, in my opinion, doesn’t _have_ to be a display of arrogance. In some circumstances, admitting that something may be one’s own perspective rather than presuming it to be external truth can be an act of humility.
without me seeing a waterfall and being in awe, it's just water that is falling. that doesn't make me evil, just capable of awe, and no more important than anyone else capable (or incapable for that matter) of feeling awe
But also the water falling will not stop having its strength and importance after you leave. Nature is always majestic, we being there to recognizing it or not. A tree that falls and no one listens to it still falls. Reality exists out of our perception.
@@luizfelipe5399 true
well said. Thanks for this. Good insight. God Bless.
Isn't this a dialectic process? I can see how someone can easily transform the perception of their impressions into an object of reality itself. Maybe the root of evil is ending all things on you and your own "pleasure" (on a hedonistic sense), the conflict E Michael Jones described as "submitting truth to your desires, instead of your desires to the truth".
Also sounds like the temptation in The Garden: you will be gods...
So true.
I acknowledged this problem with philosophical subjectivism way back before my entry into the church when I was studying moral philosophy and remarked that subjectivism can only be the favorite philosophy of Satan and his devils.
Sadly it is *the* prevailing philosophy in modern society.
I find myself quite a boring matter to explore. As a teenager I started to suspect that so much effort put into knowing oneself was really wasted on justifying one's misbehaviour. If we were really honest, it would take a minute to know the truth about ourselves.
So much self contemplation engenders dishonesty and mental health issues.