Radical Honesty

Another great teacher and one other book we very much can recommend to unmask the lies in the lives of people and in the culture, where this faculty of lies in all of us can become an internal element and mental faculty of evil, if we are not aware of it, is ‘People of the Lie - The Hope for Healing Human Evil ‘ by M. Scott Peck. The same writer who wrote the famous book “The Road Less Travelled”.

M. Scott Peck says in his book ‘People of The Lie - The Hope for Healing Human Evil’:

“The evil create for those under their dominion a miniature sick society. [] They perhaps direct at least as musch energy into their devious rationalizations and destructive compensations as the healthiest do into loving behaviour. Why ? What posesses them, drives them ? Basicly it is fear. They are terrified that the pretense will brake down and they will be exposed to the world and to themselves. They are continually frightened that they will come face-to-face with their own evil. Of all emotions, fear is the most painfull.”. (s.124).

“The long-overdue discussion between psychology and religion has begun, and nowhere does the beginning bear better fruit than in Dr. M. Scott Peck’s ‘People of the Lie’…This is a ground-breaking book”. The Wall Street Journal.

“In the Road Less Traveled I defined evil ‘as the exercise of political power- that is, the imposition of one’s will upon others by overt or covert coercion-in order to avoid….spiritual growth (p.279).”

A predominant characteristic, however, of the behaviour of the those I call evil is scapegoating. Because in their hearts they consider themselves above reproach, they must lash out at anyone who does reproach them. They sacrifice others to preserve their self-image of perfection. [] Scapegoating works through a mechanism psychiatrists call projection. Since the evil, deep down, feel themselves to be faultless, it is inevitable that when they are in conflict with the world they will invariably percieve the conflict as the worlds fault. Since they must deny their own badness, they must percieve others as bad. They project their own evil onto the world. They never think of themselves as evil; on the other hand, they consequently see much evil in others”. (s. 74).

We become evil by attemting to hide from ourselves. [] There is no need to hide unless we first feel that something needs to be hidden. [] The Evil hate the light - the light of goodness that shows them up, that light of scutiny that exposes them, the light of truth that penetrates their deception. Psychotherapy is a light-shedding process per excellence. Except for the most twisted motives, an evil person would be more likely to choose any other conceivable route than the psychiatrists couch. [] The essential psychological problem of human evil, I believe, is a particular variety of narcissism. “S.76-77)

Scott Peck outline good models to explain evil in his book.

If you have ever experienced or been frustrated by people who seem to have a hidden agenda then you will enjoy and benefit from this book. The author states (some are paraphrased) and explains the following:
1. The evil hide their motives with lies.
2. Evil people want to appear to be good.
3. When confronted by evil, the wisest and most secure adult will usually experience confusion.
4. Evil seeks to discourage others to think for themselves (fosters dependency).
5. To oppose evil we must have an ongoing dedication to reality at all cost.

I agree that to be mentally healthy we must believe what is true and only what is true. After reading this book you will be better equipped to deal with people who cause strife and confusion. It will also help you identify thought patterns where you are lying to yourself.

Evil is the exercise of power, the imposing of one’s will upon others by overt or covert coercion”. “The core of evil is ego-centricity, whereby others are sacrificed rather than the ego of the individual.”

These words and the following analysis that Scott Peck gives us into the world of evil are sorely needed now in America. At the heart of our political and moral meltdown is the force of evil. According to Dr. Peck (psychology) ego-centric persons are utterly dedicated to preserving their self-serving image. They cultivate an image of being a good, right, God-fearing citizens. They specialize in self-deceit and thus are People of the Lie.

Scott Peck is best known for his famed book The Road Less Traveled where Peck argues that there is a link between personal growth, spirituality, and basic mental health. In People of the Lie Scott, Peck see evil as the antithesis to the very goodness and life that normal, healthy people seek. He writes this book to raise the awareness that evil exists as an entity and force in the world and calls his readers to take evil far more seriously.