4 Aspects of Fighting Evil

I wrote this years ago, and just posted it on my blog last year, here:

http://tothian.blogspot.com/2011/11/4-aspects-of-fighting-evil.html

The 4 Aspects of Fighting Evil

I've spoken about this before, and I will again. From my studies and experiences, I've theorized that there are 4 aspects of fighting evil, and there are even other ways to interpret this in your own ways, but here are some of my ways of viewing it. And I will share them with you.

The Fire Aspect- This one is obvious. Just think of the term used time and time again. "Fighting fire with fire." That's what this one is. Vengeance. The advantage of it lies in how effective of a tactic it is at scaring evil. The disadvantage is overkill, taking things too far, when sometimes the punishment may not seem to fit the crime.

The Earth Aspect- This one makes me think of a fair, balanced version of fighting evil. Reaping what you sew. Since this planet Earth consists of all 4 aspects, any of the other 3 aspects can be applied where necessary. Justice. The advantage is that it's actions are equal to the evil it's attempting to fight, destroy, punish, or teach a lesson to. Not too much as to be considered unfair, yet not too little as to be considered weak and afraid to fight back. This one I feel most in line with, because I understand and accept all of the aspects, but agree with this ideal the most.

The Water Aspect- To fight hatred with love, cruelty with kindness. It's advantage comes with the times it's able to make an evildoer see the error of their own ways by comparison to the seemingly undeserved respect you show towards them. As in, if you want an evil person to be good, then first show them what good is. The disadvantage is for the times it can be viewed upon as a weakness.

The Air Aspect- This one I can interpret in a few ways. The first way I thought of it, a while back, was ignoring evil. It's advantage is against the type of evil that thrives off the attention it's given. Ignoring those types of evil people make them lose the motivation to do evil. Another way I had interpreted it had to do with a combination of knowledge and indirectly fighting evil. Such as being a strategist or someone in a support role who may not necessarily fight evil themself, but yet in a sense indirectly does by offering some type of advice or useful resource to help the other person fight evil. Praying could perhaps be considered this as well, yet supplemented with the intentions of any of the other 3 aspects.

Each of those 4 represent common tactics you see with Police, when interrogating people. The Good Cop (Water), The Bad Cop (Fire), That one Cop who is serious, can be friendly but also firm and strict (Earth), then there's that one quiet Cop that you don't know what they're thinking (Air).

One mistake I see certain Warriors make is denying the importance of aspects other than their own, rather than learning to balance out those other ones.

There are also mixtures of these elements as well, such as Lava, Ice, Mud, Smoke.

Your elemental approach sounds like an alchemy, almost some sort of thermodynamic approach where the substance 'evil' is confronted by changes in its energy to probe its breadth of character, which then allows action to be determined and applied.

As a primary Water myself, I think I need to correct that a little bit:

Water is something to be reckoned with. You get a water angry enough, expect a tsunami that will crush the living life out of the person it is aimed at. Water fights evil by unleashing a torrent of emotions, inciting guilt by whatever speaks the best to that individual. It may be through kindness and love, but it may also be through actions which can only be perceived as fueled by anger.

The Water always has it in their minds that what they are doing is based in compassion, and will hopefully help the person in the long run. The difference between a Water and an Earth is that Earth is balanced and logical in their approach. Earth doesn't necessarily care what it is going to do for the individual their wrath is aimed at- they care about the majority (Earth is my secondary element).

I have to agree with Alethea. It's like Bruce Lee said,

"Be like water. When you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup; when you put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; when you put it into a teapot it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or drip, or creep, or crash! Be water my friend."

I personally think Tothian's description of Water sounds more like Air. Air avoids and evades evil. I tend to think of myself as an Air person. I am generally unnoticed, but accomplish my goals without anyone seeing. I accept all ways of life and philosophy. You will never meet any resistance when approaching me. I fight evil with indifference.