The Law of Conservation of Evil

Human beings exploit the earth and each other. We torture, kill and eat animals. We cut down forests and poison the soil and water. We make war. We drive filthy cars and pave the world. We pollute. We bully and scapegoat. We hold crazy beliefs and belong to irrational cults and religions. We don’t think for ourselves. We long for freedom while enforcing repression. We censor and suppress and police and call out and turn each other in. We rip each other new assholes while covering our own. We all think we’re better than the rest. We are hypocrites who are appalled by hypocrisy.

For meaning in our lives, we may fixate on one human evil and try to rise above it. Pro-Environment. Animal Rights. Freedom of Speech. Christianity. Communism.

The more we embrace these virtues, the more insufferable we become.

It’s human nature to try to rise above human nature.

There is simply no way out of being human. There are billions of us, each individual a node in an incomprehensibly complex network, a brain cell in a Great Brain. Sometimes we convert our neighbors, which gives rise to cults or religions or nations which then butt up against each other and go to war.

We might clean up our own little space: grow our own food, avoid filthy money by bartering, bike instead of drive, don’t eat meat. Little pockets of purity in a polluted world. Somewhere else, something worse is happening to compensate. Thank you for lowering demand of farmed animal products: now the price goes down so more can consume them. Thank you for biking instead of driving: now there’s more room on the road for another car. Thank you for Not Breeding: now someone else can, plus there’s a panic about “population implosion” and the culture is more pro-natalist than before.

While we’re doing all this Good, we try to persuade others. We never think we’re actively proselytizing, just taking opportunities for “teaching moments.” For sooner or later someone will notice our behavior is a little (or a lot) different and ask us about it. Maybe we’ll even convince them! Score! Now our cult is growing, and if it grows enough we’ll be able to clash with competing cults, more repressively enforce the purity of our in-group, and perhaps go to war with an out-group or two.

I call this The Law of Conservation of Evil.

I have clung to many causes: Environmentalism, Anti-Natalism, Vegetarianism/Veganism, Bikes Not Cars, Free Speech. I have been insufferable. Still, I am human, and humans need meaning in our lives, and that which lights us up the most can also make us the most insufferable.

I’m currently interested in how to avoid cults. I fear and condemn cults. If I develop a good theory of cults, and argue persuasively, I might create an anti-cult cult, just as Antifa creates fascism and anti-racism creates racism.

Back away from Identity

“Back away from Identity” advised Third Way Trans, a desister from the transgender cult, before he deleted his wonderful blog. That’s the rare idea that might be cult-proof.

Humans cannot rise above our evil, which is also our humanity. We can shift it around a little from locality to locality, just as we shift our “recyclable” garbage from our local landfill to somewhere in the ocean. The best we can do is back away from identity, from the need to be “good” or better than our fellows, and to acknowledge and accept Reality.

But don’t let me get too attached to convincing you of that! Carry on, world.

Author: Nina Paley

Animator. Director. Artist. Scapegoat. View all posts by Nina Paley