"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke
Triumph isn't once and for all. Triumph is incremental. And the battle against evil can appear suddenly, subtly, and close at hand. In our daily choices, in our discernment of what our values call us to do, let us be alert to the fact that, hour by hour, step by step, the only thing necessary for evil to advance can be for one person to do nothing.
Let us stand ready to ask ourselves, "What us going on here? Is it for me, here and now, to do nothing?"
To stop evil can be as simple as identifying it and refusing passively to tolerate it. To stop evil may be as simple as realizing, and saying, "that doesn't seem right to me." It need not require judgment of anyone else's character, let alone creation of conflict. Indeed, love, patience, compassion and courage are, and always will be, essential to stop evil.
