Is Stupidity The Root Cause of Evil?

Picture it — think of it,

Dissolute Man!

Lave in it, drink of it,

Then, if you can!

Take her up tenderly,

Lift her with care;

Fashion’d so slenderly,

Young, and so fair!

— From The Bridge of Sighs by Thomas Hood

I was reminded of these lines when I read the case of a man who tried to murder his wife (and eventually succeeded) by placing a viper in her bed. The fact that they lived in an area where snakes were plentiful enabled him to get away with this without arousing suspicion.

When she survived the attack and returned home after a considerable time in hospital, he used a King cobra. This time she did not survive.

The girl’s parents got suspicious at their daughter being stung by venomous snakes in quick succession and filed a police complaint. The police investigation uncovered damning evidence and the man has been sentenced to life in prison.

Photographs show an innocent-looking young woman. How much wiser would it have been for him to thank providence for putting this angel in his life and living happily with her? Instead, for heaven knows what reason, he decided to kill her and succeeded in the second attempt. He will now spend several years in prison and emerge penniless, bereft of friends or family.

What did he (or, indeed, the universe) gain by this? As long as people think they can benefit at the expense of others, we will have evil in this world, and the root cause is indeed stupidity. The world would be a much better place if we realised that we are all connected and anything that harms others cannot really benefit us.

Truly did the Schiller write: “Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens” (The Gods themselves struggle in vain against stupidity).