The Root Of Evil

Join us in this insightful reflection as we dive into the etymology of the word 'evil' and its profound implications. Contrary to the dramatic visuals often associated with evil—pitchforks, demons, and battles between light and darkness—our exploration focuses on a more nuanced perspective. Evil, as we discover, originates from an ancient root meaning 'excess'. It's not about supernatural forces but rather about our everyday choices and desires—how much salt we add to our fries, how many ambitions we chase, how much we consume. This reflection challenges us to recognize that evil lies in the relentless pursuit of 'more', blind to the concept of 'enough'. Join us as we rethink conventional notions and uncover a deeper understanding of this pervasive human trait.

The Daily Vedantic is a daily podcast and YouTube channel dedicated to the timeless wisdom of the Upanishads (https://thedailyvedantic.com/). Dating back to over 5,000 years ago, the source of nearly all Eastern Philosophy, and loved by Western giants from Emerson to Thoreau to Carl Jung and Alan Watts, studied daily by Joseph Campbell to Aldous Huxley to Arthur Schopenhauer and countless others, The Daily Vedantic aims to make this ancient philosophy as modern and accessible as it is simple, practical — and profound.

James Beshara (https://www.twitter.com/jamesbeshara) is a renowned startup founder of multiple companies, a prolific startup investor in 200+ others including some of the biggest startup names on the planet, a husband and father of three little girls, and philosophy student and teacher in Los Angeles.

James also co-hosts Yoga For Your Intellect (https://www.YFYI.co), a biweekly long-form conversational podcast with his teacher Joseph Emmett (https://www.instagram.com/yogaforyourintellect).

James is a student of Swami Parthasarathy, the acclaimed author of Vedanta Treatise (Vedanta Treatise – The Eternities)  and teacher at Vedanta Academy in Malavli, India. As James says often, when you’re ready for the real thing, Swami’s daily lectures are where the true wisdom and systematic discovery of the world’s oldest continually studied philosophy resides: https://www.vedantaworld.org