The Redemptive Power of Suffering and Evil

"The phenomenon of evil has always been part of human existence but is particularly pervasive in our present times. By definition, we think of evil as being purely negative, pernicious, vile, vicious, and destructive. A noxious force and tragic existential fact of life that brings only misery, sorrow, and suffering to those accidentally or intentionally exposed to or victimized by it. Which, to some extent, includes each of us. But can the painful and devastating experience of evil and the profound suffering it brings possibly be productive, growth-enhancing, or psychologically and spiritually transformative? Can good come from evil? Can suffering be redeemed?"

"Human suffering is certainly ubiquitous. We suffer from sickness, physical and emotional injury, aging, alienation, loneliness, loss, heartbreak, meaninglessness, misfortune, anxiety ( Angst), and torturous guilt feelings. Suffering--of people and other sentient creatures-is the tragic consequence of both cosmic and human evil. Earthquakes, floods, famines, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, tornadoes, wildfires, and other natural disasters cause immense suffering, as does the pervasive phenomenon of human destructiveness and evil: war, genocide, mass shootings, interpersonal hostility, hatred, depravity, cruelty, and senseless violence."

Evil functions as a pervasive, destructive reality that produces widespread misery and suffering. Suffering arises from illness, injury, aging, alienation, loss, anxiety, and guilt. Both natural disasters and human acts such as war, genocide, and violence generate profound pain for individuals and communities. Psychotherapy aims to lessen existential suffering, neurosis, and psychosis but cannot eliminate fundamental human unhappiness. Some level of suffering remains an inescapable part of existence. The experience of evil and suffering can, in certain circumstances, prompt psychological repair, growth, and spiritual transformation, raising the possibility of redemption from pain.

Read at Psychology Today