Evil does in fact exist and walks in the world right next to us

This may seem like a strange thing to say, but after much thought and serious consideration, I have to face the fact that there really is such a thing as evil, and it lives right beside us in the world now, not only in whatever may come hereafter.

I met a personification of evil today.  It's in the person of someone whom I have known for a long, long time, but it wasn't until today that I realized just how truly vicious, despicable, loathsome, self-centered and purely twisted this person is.

This person is someone who takes pride in how honest and forthright they are, but in reality, they lie, cheat, steal and twist up everything to make them look good and make everyone else around them wrong, petty, selfish and small.

I now know who the person is that is petty, selfish to a degree I can only imagine, and so small that they are and have nothing of value to anyone, even their own self.  I suppose that explains why they are the way they are, and that is beyond sad, it's tragic, but it's like an alcoholic - they can't even begin to recover until they can admit to what they are.  This person is incapable of admitting that they are now or ever have been wrong, not about anything.

If you happen to meet someone like this, or about whom you feel anything like this, you can try to be nice to them, to sympathize with all their awful plights, their horrid relationships, get them gifts, do anything they ask, but it will never make a difference, because they can't even see that you are a person, that you have your own thoughts that might not be the same as theirs, or things to do that are just as important to you as every whim of theirs is to them.  If are nice to them, or give them things, or do things for them, don't expect any gratitude - they are incapable of recognizing that you did anything, for them, about which they should be grateful.  They can't conceive of anything outside their own narrow, narcissistic warped view of the world.

I can't say who this person is, but I can conclude with one comforting thought:

It isn't me, and I thank God every day for that, no matter how much I complain (and, yes, yell at Him) about anything else.