I do not believe in a general theory of evilness. The great majority of us have, in the past, felt a motivation to be kind and considerate to one another. Some force is causing many of us to now fear and ignore this instinct.
I cannot claim to understand the nature of this change. I also am unsure how to prevent a worsening of this developing tendency. This will be a difficult next four years, even for many of those who voted for President-elect Trump. Being angry and isolating ourselves from those who disagree with us can only prolong this unpleasant period.
We all need to calmly and unemotionally carry on a fact-based dialogue with those who disagree with us.
Many of those who are reading this are talented in the art of successfully carrying on conversations with disagreeing opponents. Now is the time to activate this talent. Failing this, we abandon opponents to the flawed interpretations of Fox News and the slanted, often emotionally based conclusions of social and mainstream media.
David Scotton
Cape Elizabeth
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