The fear of evil.

Why do people fear evil? Within all of us is the capacity for evil. Sometimes there is even a desire to do evil. Whether we we curb that desire as a result of some divine presence or biological evolution is irrelevant. For every individual there is an individual definition of what exactly evil is, but regardless, we all have a darkness inside that forces the choice; give in or resist. Many people fear that darkness. They may even fear the choice; perhaps they are afraid that they will make the 'wrong' choice. Certainly we fear evil in others above all else, though. That's what I'm speaking of here; the fear of evil in others. I don't understand that fear, not anymore. Perhaps I once did. Regardless, I don't see the point to it, and it's certainly a very common fear. A fear that envelops our society, our history, our culture. Why? We should fight evil, or what we perceive as evil. We should strive to conquer it in others and in ourselves (Although we can no more eliminate evil than we can eliminate our thoughts and emotions). But fear? What place does fear have in this fight? It's not fear of failure, for it's not really a fight that can be won or lost. The tides can be turned, yes, but ultimate victory can never be achieved for either side. Is it fear of pain, then? No... it's deeper even than that primal instinct. Fear of evil is fear of the night, the unknown shadows that catch the corner of our eyes and cause us to huddle closer around the fire. The only way to conquer that fear is to accept the evil inside yourself, to recognize it's presence and either willfully choose to deny it or to embrace it. I do not think that embracing evil will lead anyone to happiness, but I do think that accepting it and saying "No" allows us to conquer it; for evil's greatest tool is fear. When we learn there is no cause for fear, evil ceases to be anything more than an arbitrary adversary.