The Happiness Podcast 015 - The Problem of Evil
Aug 30, 2019
A reflective retelling of a parable where mercy and betrayal collide. Short scenes explore how animals and people justify suffering and the limits of intellectual answers. Tension builds through rescue, revenge, and a painful lesson about disillusionment. The narrative probes why the problem of evil resists neat explanations.
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Crocodile Fable About Mercy And Betrayal
- Anthony de Mello tells a fable of a boy who frees a trapped crocodile and is eaten, then later rallies the village only to see a rabbit killed instead of the crocodile.
- The story layers perspectives (crocodile, bird, donkey, rabbit) to show how creatures justify cruelty until a clever intervening twist saves the boy and later flips the outcome.
Cruelty Gets Reinforced Into A 'Law Of Life'
- The fable illustrates that creatures (and people) rationalize harmful behavior as 'the law of life' to justify hurting those who help them.
- Multiple witnesses (bird, donkey) confirm the crocodile's claim, showing cultural reinforcement of cruelty as normal.
Intellect Alone Can't Explain Suffering
- de Mello concludes that intellectual explanations for suffering fail to resolve the emotional weight of evil and pain.
- He asserts no formula, religious or philosophical, truly explains widespread suffering and destruction.