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

child writing on chalkboard
Leonardo Toshiro Okubo on Unsplash

Bilingual People Explain Which Words They're Surprised Don't Exist In English

According to one report, approximately 3.3 billion people worldwide—43 % of the population—are multilingual, meaning they speak at least two languages. According to the last Census, 21.6% of people in the United States speak more than one language, while in the United Kingdom, the number is 36%.

More multilingual people speak English as a second language than English speakers who have learned another language besides English. Worldwide, people who learned English as a first language rate among the lowest in multilingual rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield meets fan with wild tweet!

American actor Andrew Garfield had a funny yet awkward reunion with a fan from a viral “Thirst Tweet” featured on Buzzfeed Celeb.

The Thirst Tweet compilation shows celebrities reading a collection of scandalous tweets from fans commenting on their looks, attractiveness, and sex appeal. Blushing stars include James McAvoy, Renee Rapp, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Mackie, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, as they promote F1 the Movie that was released in theaters last week.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @hotweirdgirl69's TikTok video
@hotweirdgirl69/TikTok

Women Record As Two Men Refuse To Leave Their Table At A Bar—And It's Infuriating

Content Warning: Sexual Harassment

"She deserved it." "She was asking for it." "She wasn't clear about her boundaries." "She didn't actually say 'no.'"

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @sarahtheseven's TikTok video
@sarahtheseven/TikTok

TikToker Speaks Out After Doctor Refused To Set Her Broken Arm Because She Was Crying

Many of us have negative relationships with the healthcare system, going to doctor's appointments, or asking for medical help at all—and unfortunately, that's for good reason.

Too often patients are subjected to medical bias, gaslighting, and neglect, and it can often lead to poor medical attention, inaccurate diagnoses, and even unnecessary medications and procedures. And the main victims of these occurrences are often women and people of color.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @culinaryem's TikTok video
@culinaryem/TikTok

Wedding Caterer Goes Viral For Her Reaction To Discovering Groom Was Having An Affair

It's easy to say that we would intervene if we realized that someone was cheating, but would we actually follow through when it happened?

That was the question chef, caterer, and TikToker @culinaryem faced when she planned to cater a wedding for a "lovely couple" she nicknamed "Sweet" (the bride) and "Dirtbag" (the groom).

Keep ReadingShow less