Innocence in an Evil World


I only recently started using the term “evil” – previously that word was too loaded for me:  I have Buddhist training for goodness sake!  But, perhaps like you, my bubble has been burst.  Which bubble is that?  The innocence bubble.  Let’s explore this.

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The Innocent


The Innocent is an archetype that everybody can relate to because at one time we were all innocent: open, vulnerable and trusting.  Babies are innocents and for this reason, we (hopefully the majority) want to protect them.  There is something profoundly beautiful about the innocent person.  

In the mind of the innocent, the world is essentially good and people are generally honest.  Innocents trust leaders, government and the general public because it is assumed those mentioned have our best interests at heart.  After all, the innocent believes and wishes the best for others, why wouldn’t everybody else?  

When the world is cruel or indifferent, the innocent naively believes they are the problem.

This is the thinking:

  • The world is a good and beautiful place;
  • People are naturally beneficent and wish the best for others;
  • If people aren’t supporting me or are harming me, the problem must be with me.

It occurred to me recently that the people suffering the most right now are likely those that believe the world operates according to natural (vs. contrived) laws.

  • Those who are trusted are trustworthy;
  • People who do good work, do well;
  • Good people are loved and respected.

And when they do not thrive in this truly backwards, evil, nonsensical world, they assume the problem is within themselves:  “There is something wrong with me.”.  This forms the basis of shame, guilt and hiding.  

But what if these assumptions are incorrect?  What if the people who do the best are the most corrupted?  What if those who receive support are those who know how to play the game?  What if admiration and adoration is given to those who best know how to manipulate?

The more I investigate, the more dystopian this world seems.  Our current world (2021) is obviously run or more accurately, manipulated by psychopaths.  Psychopaths are always harmful and to put it bluntly, they are evil (substitute corrupted or malicious if you don’t like the term “evil”).  What’s “evil”? – that which works against life, by my own made-up definition.  I’ve spent some time investigating psychopathy for my own very good reasons.  We collectively have a big problem on our hands because psychopaths love positions of power and will do anything to claim these positions.

That puts innocent people in a very disadvantaged position.  When you assume that politicians and broadcasters and so-called “leaders” speak from the heart when they say “we’re all in this together”,  you might spend your precious time and energy trying to help others feeling that this is a group effort.  Undoubtedly, it will do you good to assist others.  However, when you spend your time helping everybody, but nobody will return the favour, even under difficult circumstances….where does that leave you?  If you are an innocent –  feeling like you are somehow unworthy of the same generosity of which you are capable of sharing.

Moving out of innocence and into “orphanism”, another archetype (the Orphan) happens in its own time, but often after a major betrayal.  Certainly, recognizing that the world is manipulated by sociopaths will help make sense out of the nonsensical. 

The benefit of this transition to orphanism is savviness, wariness,  self-reliance, and group-reliance.  The orphan stops blaming themselves and starts protecting themselves.  Orphans band together, like the little bandits that they must be.  We are going to see a surge of this archetype surfacing in the next little while.  The outcomes will be interesting.

If you are suffering psychically and mentally, if you doubt yourself, if you feel like you don’t belong….

Know that you definitely belong, beyond that, your heart and your integrity are needed in this world, now more than ever.  The fact that your worth is questioned is evidence of the desire to be good and to do good.  Please, stay with us, just reconsider your premises.

I will write more about the Orphan shortly.  Stay tuned.

2 thoughts on “Being Innocent in an Evil World

  1. Very interesting take. I do feel like our world is ruled by power hungry people that lie to our faces and say we got this. It does feel like people are becoming more unhappy but instead of coming together we r falling apart. Thank you

  2. DrTanyaNDRampersad says:

    Hi Sarah, thanks for your comment. I’ve reconsidered my views since the writing of this post. I just wasn’t feeling fully whole believing in evil dictators and a secret cabal.
    I feel/know in my heart, that we’re at a time of transition – that we, as a people are being faced with the challenge of becoming a “We”. It’s a completely different experience. We’re all victims to false views, to me, that’s the real evil. And in being so, we are all complicit, which we intuitively know but we just don’t know how to break free from.
    It’s our culture, our beliefs (I am separate from you, from nature, from other humans and other animals) that is the evil of this world. We all must harden our hearts, like the sociopath, to survive this system, to pass homeless people on the street without assisting them, mow the lawn, drive our cars and go shopping.

    Once we realize we are actually a “We”, we won’t be able to harm others without realizing we are also harming ourselves. I have faith in this possibility, pray for this, and put every good intention towards this actualizing.

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