The struggle against evil happens every moment.

Henry David Thoreau in 1854 said,

For a thousand hackings at the branches of evil,
it is worth nothing to one strike at the root.

JP has made me increasingly aware that, for the most part, evil is not an active menace embodied in some individuals; it's what happens in moments of weakness, and can happen within any individual at just about any time.

A single evil act can invalidate a lifetime of good, and no contrition can ever change the simple fact that evil happened. Furthermore, intentions don't matter, because evil acts committed with good intentions are evil.

So, the struggle against evil within a person happens moment by moment, every day that person is alive. Eternal vigilance is the price of goodness. And though goodness may be a painful struggle, it is the most worthwhile of all struggles I know.