It is important to recognize our potential for evil as humans
Everyone has the potential to be a genocidal dictator, a mass murderer, a death camp guard, and every despicable role we can imagine. No matter how much we want to write off these sick and demented individuals as sub-human, insane, or monsters, the truth is that despite their horrendous acts...they are still human.
When a mass shooting takes place, it is comforting to think of the person that committed the act as something other than human. We can't comprehend how someone that is technically the same species as us could do something so heinous.
And yet, the truth is that these individuals are human. Some may be suffering from mental illness, disillusionment, isolation, and general alienation. But the fact remains, they are not some outside entity separate from the rest of the species.
We all need to face the monster within
It's easy to believe that we would never commit such a terrible act in our lifetimes, that we are moral and virtuous people that are incapable of such atrocities. But that's also slightly delusional.
Although most of us would never actually do anything on the level of a mass murder, the fact remains that we all have the potential to do so. Just because we happen to be presently be decent individuals doesn't preclude us from ever straying off the path.
How many times, in a fit of uncontrolled emotion, have you said something to a loved one that you immediately regretted? You knew what you were saying went against your values, yet your emotions led you to blurt out something that was in contrast to your morals.
Though we may believe we have our emotions in check, we frequently find ourselves at the mercy of our impulses. When we do not recognize that there is a dark part of our unconscious that is capable of terrible acts, we are less likely to recognize when we are straying into monster territory.
Acknowledge your capacity for wickedness to reduce the chances of it occurring
A person who is incapable of recognizing their faults is inevitably doomed to falter. This doesn't mean that an individual should ruminate on their potential evildoings to a neurotic degree. We simply need to become aware of our flaws as human beings and honestly face that, despite our best intentions, we still have the ability to engage in unspeakable acts.
No one is a perfect being free from sin or contemptible action. We are not completely separate from the monsters of society, as they are manifestations of the worst parts of human psychology.
But the vast majority of them weren't born that way, and probably wanted the same things from life that you or I still want. Very few people actually view themselves as monsters, even in the wake of committing horrendous acts.
Recognizing the monster within will not prevent all evil, but it will help us realize when we are slipping into precarious territory. And that can make all the difference.
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