On Wickedness
Konstantinos Konstantinidis – Amphiktyon
Wickedness is easily victorious,
if the State so desires.
Violence is painted upon its face;
it always aims at profit,
and folly possesses it,
running ahead of those who pursue it.
You will not find wickedness only among the wealthy;
there you may also find compassion.
If you lend to the poor,
do not calculate interest,
and you may lose what you lent,
receiving ingratitude in the end.
Wickedness sows discord,
bringing the apple of Eris,
dragging countless evils along with it;
with fair words and lies it delights us.
It brings us gifts from Ithaca
like Saint Nicholas at the hearth.
The cause of wickedness is the lack of reason;
it seeks distinction by every means,
through money and through falsehood,
and in extreme circumstances, through bloodshed.
Many have a noble appearance,
yet their soul is black,
full of cunning and darkness.
In the depths of the evil soul lies Hades;
rarely does it change its nature.
Do not be deceived by their attire,
their words and innocent gaze,
nor by their often imaginary wealth,
their flattery and deceit;
look deeper, even into their lineage.
Wickedness will use every means,
provided it achieves its goal.
The harm it causes is of no concern to it,
so long as it brings profit to itself.
For example, it steals things of common utility,
often through gangs of Roma.
It unravels the warp and weft of society.
Another gang, wealthier and more powerful,
steals the money of farmers
and livestock breeders.
Such a person is a hardened criminal;
the punishment should be exemplary,
and the stolen funds returned.
A most grievous misfortune is the wicked neighbor,
who keeps Asia Minor under subjugation.
It has brought genocides upon peoples,
sowing despotism and slavery,
understanding only the barrel of a gun.
Wickedness never remains the same;
it evolves continually.
It becomes criminal and beastly
if not checked at once.
Humanity will shrink in fear.
Among many wicked people,
the one wise person is lost in the mud.
Wickedness, like the Lernaean Hydra,
extends its tentacles everywhere;
the fish rots from the head.
Wickedness harms every good thing
that stands before it.
It will accuse it, slander it,
and perhaps send it to prison or to the grave.
Yet society must not be afraid,
nor surrender.
In our days, the wicked have become so numerous
that if the law were fully applied,
most would end up in prison
and the country would be deserted.
Judges and lawyers would be left unemployed,
and not a few from Parliament as well.
Whoever harms society,
even if he does not strike everyone directly,
sooner or later you too will feel
the arrows of violence and injustice.
Lamentation then will be futile.
Man is a domesticated beast;
animals walk on four legs, he on two.
Civilization has changed him little;
he remains beastly and wicked.
Otherwise, laws would be unnecessary,
and he would obey the commands of Mother Nature.
By his conscience he would correct himself,
for Nature granted him reason as an exception,
making him superior to the animals.
For, as they say, Prometheus
gave one nature to every creature;
only to man did he give many:
some cowardly, wicked, and cunning,
others criminal and bloodthirsty,
pretending to be the strong.
Never turn against everyone.
That is not the mark of the intelligent,
but rather of the wicked and the weak.
Nor should you praise evil
and condemn the good.
First strive to improve yourself,
so that you may judge the actions of others,
and not be one who teaches others
yet fails to keep the law himself.
Living near barbarians,
we have become somewhat barbarized ourselves;
we have forgotten our virtuous
and law-abiding ancestry,
our rich heritage and our virtue.
Whoever greedily appropriates the goods
that Nature granted collectively to all
is considered a thief of the commonwealth.
Like the brave warrior
who, instead of fighting the enemy, plunders;
like the valiant man who prefers stealing,
or the handsome man who prefers adultery to marriage.
The modern ultra-rich,
worshipped like gods and exalted as supreme figures—
states, banks, multinational corporations, shipping empires,
and their owners, materialistic Croesuses.
Alas! Everything will remain behind in this world.
No Croesus can enter Paradise
with immeasurable fortunes,
unless they perform benefactions
for the good of the many.
4 June 2026
Amphiktyon – Lieutenant General (Ret.)
Konstantinos Konstantinidis
Author – Member of the Greek Society of Writers
Amphiktyon Blog: http://www.amphiktyon.blogspot.com
Amphiktyon Official Site: http://www.amphiktyon.org
