Epistle to the Romans tells us plainly: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) Good advice, right? But let’s bring that into 2026, because today, evil doesn’t always look like fangs and fire; it looks like a headline, a meme, a shocking video, a heartbreaking celebrity death report, or a story so outrageous you must share it, and every click… every comment… every angry paragraph… every share… someone gets paid.
I watch intelligent, caring, passionate people step right into the field they claim to hate. They see an infuriating post. Their heart rate rises, their jaw tightens, and their fingers begin typing. They are not just reading the post, they are feeding it.
What they don’t realize is this: Negative content thrives on outrage. Positive fiction thrives on emotional tugging, and both thrive on engagement.
It does not matter whether the story is true; it matters whether you reacted, because in today’s digital ecosystem, attention is currency.
And evil, in this context, is not simply “bad behavior,” it is manipulation for profit at the expense of your emotional stability.
The Monetization of Emotion
Every view is data. Every second you linger increases revenue. Every comment, whether supportive or furious, amplifies reach. Even a “non-like” is engagement.
The algorithm does not care if you are righteous; it cares that you are reacting, and the purveyors of outrage rejoice when you repost their content “to warn others.”
You think you are fighting it, but you are actually promoting it.
But It’s Not Just Bad News
It is not only dark, angry content that manipulates you.
It is also:
-
- The fake celebrity death announcement
- The tear-jerking reunion story that never happened
- The miracle cure headline
- The “good news” story engineered to tug at your compassion
If it was fabricated to harvest your feelings for profit, the energy underneath it is the same; even if you felt warm and inspired, you were emotionally harvested.
Why This Matters Spiritually
When you continually engage with outrage, your nervous system stays activated. When you continually engage with emotional manipulation, even the sweet kind, your discernment dulls. Over time, you become easier to steer. This is not conspiracy thinking; it is economic reality.
Attention is the most valuable commodity on Earth right now, and whoever controls your attention influences your internal state.
How to Overcome Evil With Good
St. Paul did not say “argue with evil.” He did not say “amplify evil to warn others.” He said overcome it with good.
Here’s what that looks like today:
-
- Do Not Give It Audience
If a headline hooks you emotionally, pause.
Ask:
-
-
-
- Who benefits from my engagement?
- Is this verified?
- Is my reaction going to improve anything?
-
-
If the answer is no, close it. That single act is power.
-
- Redirect Immediately
Instead of typing an angry comment:
-
-
-
- Make a small donation to a cause you trust.
- Send a message of appreciation to someone you love.
- Post a simple, authentic moment of beauty.
- Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while and tell them you love them.
- Yes, post your cat sleeping on your keyboard.
- Or two puppies curled up together.
-
-
Flood the field with good. Do not argue with darkness. Turn on a light.
-
- Tighten Your Information Diet
You would not eat spoiled food, so stop consuming spoiled information.
Practical steps:
-
-
-
- Follow fewer news sources, not more.
- Unfollow accounts that specialize in outrage.
- Mute keywords that spike your stress.
- Check whether a story is reported by multiple credible outlets before reacting.
- Look for original sources, not screenshots.
- Be skeptical of emotionally extreme language.
- If a celebrity death story is not on a reputable news site within minutes, it is likely false.
-
-
And here is a powerful rule:
If it tugs your heart too perfectly… pause. Manipulation often feels urgent. Truth rarely does.
-
- Starve the Algorithm
Algorithms reward engagement.
-
-
-
- Silence is resistance.
- Scrolling past is resistance.
- Not commenting is resistance.
- Not sharing is resistance.
-
-
When enough people withdraw emotional fuel, the machine loses power.
-
- Become a Producer of Good
Instead of amplifying what you hate, amplify what you love.
Create:
-
-
-
- Encouragement
- Beauty
- Insight
- Humor
- Stability
-
-
You do not need to solve the world, you simply need to stop financing its dysfunction.
A Deeper Realization
Evil in our era is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is subtle, monetized emotional hijacking, and the only way it thrives is through participation.
When you refuse to participate, you weaken it. When you replace reaction with contribution, you overcome it.
The Question to Ask Yourself
Who is getting paid for your attention? And are they building the world you want?
If not, withdraw. Redirect. Create good.
Overcome evil not by fighting it, but by starving it and flooding the field with something better.
That is not passive, that is strategic, and in this era of monetized emotion, it may be one of the most spiritually powerful things you can do.