Evil Is The Wrong Operation Of The Mind
An excerpt from a talk by Vernon Howard given on 01-05-80, Side 1 at 29 minutes
Student: Will you comment on the existence of evil please.
Vernon: Evil is the wrong operation of the mind which works in opposites. In order for evil to exist, there must first exist the idea of you. The idea of individuality which is thought, which is one side of thought operating in the opposites.
We're born into this world and we start to think, and because we're undeveloped whatever happens to us our thinking says "I" to it. An experience never happens to any human being. Nothing has ever happened to any human being since the beginning of time. And the reason it hasn't happened to any human being is because no human being has ever existed. How do you like that?
Physical bodies have existed, but because we're faulty, because we're undeveloped and we think on very low levels we say, "I made that money. I was hurt by those people. I have been appointed to save the world." We start the sentence with the word "I" simply because we don't know any better. We're ignorant. This goes on for so long that most people go beyond the point of no return where they become incapable of seeing the mistake they have made which is the formation of "I" by thought.
In this class we are correcting that mistake by doing two things. By acquiring the facts about the error and then not trying to correct it ourselves because "I" can't correct "I". Evil never tosses out evil. Evil is in love with itself. But by a thorough knowledge of the mistake, followed by the willingness to give up the mistake and to become nobody at all.
Because when you become nobody then there is a chance - not a chance - a certainty. When you become nobody, that's the same as the abandonment of opposites thinking in the intellect which means that there is then room for God, Truth, Reality to come into your life and live it for you. Now, at this point, your life is indeed lived for you, happily, peacefully in the Kingdom of Heaven itself.
A thought went through my mind about ten seconds ago - which I'll pass onto you - while I was talking. The thought was: What a shame that every minister, clergymen, philosopher on earth didn't come to this class this morning. Somewhere out in that world there is a minister, there is a philosopher, there is a psychologist, there is a psychiatrist who wants out. And he'll come here or read the books or hear us on radio, or whatever.