Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Greatest Examples Of Necessary Evil

The Greatest Examples Of Necessary Evil
woman in yellow sweater holding red and white box
Photo by Dollar Gill on Unsplash

There are several things we look back in history which instantly make us shudder.

Wars, acts of terrorism, shootings.

We can even say the same of our own lives, as we look back on family illnesses, break-ups or terrifying travel experiences.

It's easy to say that these are events or memories which we wish had never happened.

However, if we stop and reflect, we might realize that all of the above, and more, were important stepping stones in our lives and the course of history.

As they were all valuable learning experiences which shaped our lives, and the world, for the better.

A "necessary evil", if you will.


Redditor opiate_user was curious to hear what people considered the most important instances of necessary evils, leading them to ask:
"What is a great example of a necessary evil?"

A Natural Warning Sign

"The ability for the human body to feel pain."

"As exploitable as it is, without this ability to feel pain the life expectancy would go way down because people often wouldn't realize something was wrong with their body until it was too late to do anything about it."

"Pain is the body's natural defense mechanism to protect itself against further injury."- Music_Girl2000

Even If You Still Want More Chips

"That air in you bag of chips stops the chips from getting crushed on delivery."

"We all wish there could just be more chips but you need that air."- ArminTanz

Hungry Full House GIFGiphy

Kicking Cancer In The Butt...

"Chemotherapy."- Qazax1337

Everyone Needs To Be Served A Slice Of Humble Pie...

"If you don't experience sitting down and being humbled, you're all the more likely to not only let success go to your head but to take things for granted."- ImaginaryCharges

Everyone Deserves The Right To A Fair Trial

"A lawyer defending an alleged murderer etc."- qqqrrrs_

Episode 16 Reaction GIF by Law & OrderGiphy

A Little Perspective Goes A Long Way

"If we manage not to engage in a nuclear war, we will probably look back on the century or centuries we had them pointed at each other as being the single most important factor in not engaging in massive warfare every decade."

"People forget that the firebombing of Tokyo killed more people than Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined, and it was nothing compared to Dresden, and that was comparable to Nanjing, which was nothing compared to the Holocaust, which was nothing compared to the Eastern front, in which an estimated 30 million people died."

"Before that, we had WW1, which setup the political and economic stage for WW2."

"Before WW1, we had various wars of colonialism that setup the imperial rivalries from Europe."

"After WW2, the entire world seemed to be teetering on the edge of another global conflict every decade that was only truly staved off by the possibility that the entire human race would be annihilated if such an event occurred."

"People on every continent have engaged in brutal wars ever since, but the specter of global war and the potential for nuclear holocaust has tempered these conflicts immensely."

"If we manage to outgrow the need to be pointing a gun at each other's heads, our great-great grandchildren might think of us as having been silly, but they should have an appreciation that their peace is because we came close to ending it all."-tacit_urn

Let It Rip...

"Farting, it stinks and it's embarrassing but we'd be in constant agony without it."- OutlawCountryFan

Evil In The Classic Sense...

"D&D villains."

"Hard to run a decent campaign without one or two of them."

"I used to run a home game with close friends and family so luckily I never had that problem player or a murder hobo party but never say never."- Clear-Owl-378

Role Playing Magic GIF by Dungeons & DragonsGiphy

It Takes Being Sad To Realize How Happy You Are

"Sadness."

"You can't be happy all the time."

"It isn't healthy."

"You have to take the good with the bad."

"You learn to cope and move on from it."- PracticalyWorker

Literal Necessary Evil

"I don’t know, but in the 'Engineer Trilogy', a great low fantasy series in a weird renaissance/medieval mashup world, they call their war department the Department of Necessary Evil."

"Which I always loved."- malenkydroog

There are countless things we find ourselves going to great efforts to avoid, or wish would never happen.

Hard as these things may be to endure, however, they must happen nonetheless for progress to be made.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Nancy Sinatra; Frank Sinatra; Donald Trump
Dave J Hogan/Getty Images; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Nancy Sinatra Shuts Down MAGA Fan Who Claimed Her Famous Dad Would've Voted For Trump

It's no secret that MAGA Republican President Donald Trump hasn't been able to attract the cream of the crop when it comes to the entertainment industry. While Kid Rock, Kevin Sorbo and Scott Baio are Trump ride or dies, pretty much every other Hollywood or music legend or rising star is taking a pass on Trump.

And some outright despise the man and let everyone know. Often.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pope Leo XIV; JD Vance
Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

MAGA Brands New Pope 'Woke' After His Past Tweet Criticizing JD Vance Resurfaces

After Cardinal Robert Prevost—a Chicago-born Roman Catholic Augustine cleric who ministered in Peru and later led the Vatican’s influential Bishops’ office—made history as the first American ever elected Pope in the Church’s 2,000-year history, a tweet from February resurfaced in which he shared an article criticizing Vice President JD Vance for "ranking" his love for others.

And MAGA is not happy about it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Dept. Of Energy Roasted After Posting Bonkers Light Switch Meme To Praise Trump

The U.S. Department of Energy was mocked online after it shared a photo of President Donald Trump signing executive orders next to an image of a hand turning a light switch on—a bizarre meme that had people scratching their heads wondering what in the world the department was aiming for.

The official X account posted the meme without a caption or a comment of any kind—just one of many posts in recent days lauding the Trump administration and particularly Secretary Chris Wright for ensuring that "energy equals freedom" and that the U.S. has entered a "golden age of liquid gold."

Keep ReadingShow less
Tim Walz; Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Tim Walz Perfectly Explains Why Trump Running The Country 'Like A Business' Is A Bad Idea

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz criticized President Donald Trump during an interview with MSNBC host Jen Psaki, stressing just why the people who elected Trump to run the country "like a business" were completely misguided.

Walz particularly lamented the impacts of Trump's ongoing trade war with Canada and Mexico, noting that Trump has a history of scuttling deals and "a proven track record of being an absolute failure."

Keep ReadingShow less

People Reveal Red Flags That Scream "This Couple Won't Last!"

Love is not a many-splendered thing.

Ok, maybe it is for some, but not for most.

Keep ReadingShow less