Call Evil by Its Name!

This is going to be a hard chapter to read, but it comes with the truth, and the truth is not always kind, beautiful, or gentle. The truth does not exist to validate or please anyone. We live in a world in which even churches allow moral degeneration in order to preserve a following and secure tithing from their members. Many people go to church merely to socialize, not to seek God. Our world is suffering from an infinity of evil forms. Humans have lost their identity; men and women have, in many cases, abandoned the biological identity given to them by God, to the point that some even identify themselves as animals. There are adults acting like children to avoid responsibility, and people pretending to have mental illnesses, using them as an excuse to receive benefits and avoid confronting the reality of adulthood. We witness the horrific reality of child abuse, paraded publicly in the news and on social media. Humans are being trafficked. There are all kinds of sexual degeneration, including public cases involving transgender and sexual predators abusing the children and vulnerable people in public spaces. We are surrounded by an infinity of false gospels and religions, where people speak of God but actively avoid mentioning Satan or addressing what is truly evil in the world—a deception some rightfully call the “Cotton Candy Gospel.” But the absolute truth is that evil exists, and it must be addressed. People glorify empty titles and material possessions, monetizing activities that literally result in the destruction and death of others, there is even people who glorify the Narco, the criminal and the evil simply because they have money and material posesions. Evil is here, and we must boldly recognize it to defeat it.

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
— Ephesians 5:11

“If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.”
— Marcus Aurelius

“The ‘Bystander Effect’ and diffusion of responsibility demonstrate that social conformity in the presence of destructive behavior actively suppresses individual moral intervention, allowing systemic pathology to thrive.”
— Dr. Bibb Latané (Social Psychologist)

Perhaps we are not in a position of global power, nor do we possess the economy or presence to single-handedly solve everything that is evil in this world. But we can start by changing ourselves. We can start by calling evil by its exact name, and with that recognition, we take on the absolute responsibility to deny evil any space to exist in our own lives. I constantly pray to God to keep the world, and those I love, far away from violence, sexual immorality, drugs, alcohol, and materialism. These five things are the root of a cancer that will destroy any life, and I continually ask God to let us see the light. No matter how difficult your situation may be, opportunities—buses, trains, and airplanes—are always there for those willing to work with their eyes wide open. We can, and must, step away from evil. No amount of social validation is worth our dignity. No amount of money is worth our soul. No church or organization is worth using the name of God in vain. We may all want to change the world, but we must start by changing ourselves. Put your life in strict order so that it serves as a living example to others, proving that it is possible to succeed and be well without losing your soul.

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
— Matthew 16:26

“Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.”
— Epictetus

“Neuroplasticity dictates that conscious, repeated behavioral divergence from toxic environments physically rewires the brain’s default mode network, enabling the individual to break deeply ingrained cycles of addiction and trauma.”
— Dr. Norman Doidge (Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst)

I have looked evil directly in the eye. After losing my parents and becoming an orphan at nine years old, my life was divided among family members who wished to help me. I chose to live with my grandmother until I was eighteen. She was the poorest member of my family, but she gave me the profound peace I needed, always directing my attention to God and the strict difference between right and wrong. At that time, we lived in a very dangerous zone of Guatemala City, an area that is even worse today. I had family who lived in rich areas, but I spent little time with them; their worries were worthless properties and how unhappy they were about the union of my mother and father, and I had no intention of listening to that; I am not responsible for what my mother or father were or did, my only responsibility is to be good before God’s eyes. I have lost count of how many times I had to literally fight in the street to protect my morals and my physical integrity. I faced intense judgment and rejection for refusing to do drugs, for not becoming an alcoholic, for rejecting sexual immorality, and for saying a definitive “NO” to criminal activity. I will not deny it: only God can explain why I never fell into the abyss of crime. In my grandmother’s house, there was severe need, and my father’s and mother’s families were never on good terms. When there was no mother or father to explain my feelings or sustain me in my deepest need, God showed me the way. He taught me the absolute necessity of hard work, embracing knowledge, developing skills, and accepting responsibility. My childhood was far from pleasant. I vividly remember, right after my mother died, a friend gave me a German Shepherd puppy. A family member living in my grandmother’s place intentionally killed him. I was ten or eleven years old. They fed the puppy a mix of meat and shattered glass, then opened the door so the terrified puppy would run away to die. I followed a trail of blood for two or three kilometers and found my dog, still clinging to life. He licked my hand, though his mouth and tail were covered in blood. For a moment, I could not stand up from my knees. Tears fell, and a crushing sensation of total abandonment washed over me. But something deeply supernatural happened as I knelt there on that slope: the wind blew, a profound form of strength surged into me, and I stood up. I picked up my dog’s body, and he took his last breath in my arms. Something communicated directly to me with no words but a clear message: “It is okay. You can handle this, and you have the strength.” I carried my dog to a friend of my mother’s who was a veterinarian. He hugged me and gently said, “He died.” I responded simply, “I know. Now he is no longer in pain, and I will be okay.” Another friend, Aura who so me carrying my dog’s body and the blood trace, hugged me and offered to hang out so I wouldn’t be alone. My answer was firm: “Thank you, but I have homework to do, and I must help my grandmother with things at home.”

“For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”
— Psalm 27:10

“Fire tests gold, suffering tests brave men.”
— Seneca

“Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) occurs when an individual experiences profound psychological transformation following severe adversity, fundamentally reorganizing their cognitive schema to forge heightened resilience and a deeper sense of life purpose.”
— Dr. Richard Tedeschi (Psychologist)

After that dark episode, a fire drove me to work. It permanently opened my eyes to see the stark difference between good and evil, showing me exactly what I never wished to inflict upon others. I had moments of doubt, but it became absolutely clear that the only solution to life’s suffering was to become a relentlessly hard-working person, to do what others were entirely unwilling to do, and to become resourceful without ever hurting anyone. I know that such understanding at that early age could only be the Holy Spirit. Many of my friends from that same neighborhood engaged in criminal behavior, and many have since died in violent ways. But God did not merely give me the blessing to reckon good from evil; He blessed me with the character to fight physically and spiritually to correct what was wrong. Many times I found myself on the ground with a broken nose or broken ribs, but I always found the strength to stand back up, knowing I absolutely refused to surrender to evil. That strength drove me toward a better life, fueled by an understanding that only God can provide to an orphan. It is my strict obligation to tell the world my story, to testify that I could not have survived it on my own. God was with me. The statistical chances for a life like mine, under those brutal conditions, were practically zero. But God was with me.

“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.”
— Proverbs 24:16

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
— Marcus Aurelius

“The human stress response, when modulated by executive function rather than fear, initiates a ‘challenge response’ that biologically releases DHEA and oxytocin, optimizing the brain for courage and recovery during physical and emotional combat.”
— Dr. Kelly McGonigal (Health Psychologist)

From the age of eighteen to twenty-four, like any young person, I wanted to live and enjoy life. I wanted to skateboard, nothing like jumping over 16 steps while your board is doing a 360 flip:), nothing like the sensation of your body in the air while doing a backflip 🙂 I also wanted to go to concerts, have a group of friends, and, of course, find love. Yet, I always maintained a crystal-clear sight of what was perverse and evil. I knew exactly how to renounce relationships that would have dragged me into a miserable existence. Today, I only remain in contact with one childhood friend—a hard-working man who provides for, protects, and takes absolute responsibility for his family, a man who also possessed the character to steer himself toward a dignified life. I am deeply thankful for the experiences God allowed me to live, and I thank Him for the character to recognize the wrong and swiftly remove it from my path. That included stepping away from people I loved who clearly did not follow God, hoping that at some point they might awaken and make better choices. The ultimate point is this: our first responsibility is to take care of ourselves. If you want to show someone how to live well, words are never enough; you must be the living example. We all know we must practice what we preach, because when a person’s words do not match their actions and the timeline of their life, no one will believe them. That, in itself, is beautiful; it reveals what is true, simply because God designed a universe with time, space, and strict boundaries that make the truth physically observable.

“Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:33

“Keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”
— Epictetus

“Social contagion theory illustrates that behavioral norms, moral frameworks, and even emotional states spread biologically through interpersonal networks, making the curation of one’s immediate social circle a critical survival imperative.”
— Dr. Nicholas Christakis (Sociologist and Physician)

It is critical for all of us to understand that even if we find ourselves at the absolute bottom, there is only one direction to look: UP! Only the negligent look down, and while trapped in a hole, decide to dig deeper in a futile attempt to find a solution. This must become our standard unit of measure. While at the bottom of a pit, one easily recognize the light above, and we must use our logic to understand that our absolute obligation to ourselves is to climb toward it. We must never follow anyone into the depth and darkness that negligent people find while digging deeper into their own self-destruction. Sometimes, even when it shatters your heart, once you have shared the truth and the word of God, if people stubbornly continue choosing evil, bad habits, and destructive practices, we must accept that it is time to separate ourselves to protect our own souls. That is exactly why we must call evil by its true name. Remember this always: no matter how dark or difficult life may seem, every single human being has the profound ability to choose to follow God, and as a wise man once said “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”.

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.”
— Deuteronomy 30:19

“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.”
— Seneca

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
— Dr. Viktor E. Frankl (Neurologist and Psychiatrist)

Written by: Rhet Arevalo Marini