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Must have been most awkward for Trump since he thinks there are "very fine people on both sides"
But seriously, wider point - the idea that evil is something external to us, that it's something that's separate, that it's an "other" - that idea is dangerous, and enables so much evil.
Tribalism, nationalism, fascism, tyranny, war, revenge - these all exist and have shaped human history because they're deeply human --
But guess what, the values of justice, equality, compassion, love, forgiveness, coexistence, brotherhood - these also exist and have shaped and inspired human history because they, too, are deeply human.
The Qur'an talks about this many times. Muslims will recognize these verses from Surat al Shams, for example:
ونفس وما سواها
فألهمها فجورها وتقواها
قد أفلح من زكاها
وقد خاب من دساها
ونفس وما سواها
فألهمها فجورها وتقواها
قد أفلح من زكاها
وقد خاب من دساها
(Apologies for not rendering an English translation, since I always have trouble finding English language translations that capture the eloquence and music of the original Arabic)
Look: It's not us vs them. It's us vs us. The battle is against our own dark nature, a dark nature that we all carry within. You have it. I have it. Our ultimate choice is about which side of our nature to cultivate, empower, and bring forth into the world.
