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I’ve never really bought into the idea of “evil people.”
Bad actions exist, obviously.
But most people don’t see themselves as villains.
They think they’re doing what’s right.
Even the worst people justify themselves somehow.
They’re correcting a wrong.
Or protecting themselves.
Or chasing something they believe they’re owed.
So the idea of all powerful, malicious overlords?
I can'’t buy into it.
People are just trying to get through the day.
They’re pushed around by incentives, fear and ego.
It’s easier to call someone “evil” and imagine conspiracy.
But people aren’t that coordinated.
Or clever.
Chaos explains far more than strategic malice does.
Look at governments.
There’s no secret group plotting world domination.
There are just people in power living their short lives.
Reacting to their incentives.
Status.
Security.
Insecurity.
Fear of losing control.
Their personal motives leak into everything.
Not because they’re evil, but because they’re human.
Driven, biased, messy.
And mostly unaware of the downstream effects of what they do.
What looks like “evil” is probably baked-in evolutionary behaviours.
Status anxiety.
Territorial behaviour.
Retaliation.
Tribal loyalty.
Fear of humiliation.
All mixed up in the modern world.
People aren’t plotting.
They’re coping.
They’re guessing.
They’re improvising.
They’re running old software on a modern machine.
I think that’s why I struggle to stay angry at people.
Once I see the incentives behind their behaviour, the emotion leaves.
It’s hard to hate someone who’s just running their programming.
They’re defending status.
Avoiding shame.
Following rewards.
Reacting to pressure.
Following the incentives in front of them.
That said, understanding the incentives doesn’t excuse the damage.
People can still hurt you.
Systems can still fail you.
Outcomes still matter.
Seeing the machinery doesn’t make the world softer, it just makes it clearer.
