The noted German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) believed that evil is positive rather than negative, that the world is basically and inherantly evil. Happiness is experienced only during momentary respites between periods of unhappiness -- and, in fact, happiness consists of this brief absence of pain, this temporary interval separating one evil experience from the next. As in popular fiction, the story must be ended when, after interminable vicissitudes, the hero and heroine are happily wedded, for if the narrative continued, the reality of repeated misfortune would eventually prove Schopenhauer's judgements that "life must be some kind of mistake," and that "it is a sin to be born."
Pessimism. Schopenhauer's philosophy of Pessimism is based on the contention that the world is an irrational blind force, without guidance, for there is no God to direct it. Reality, a blind force, is a potent will, which in man takes the form of insatiable instincts, drives, or desires. To satisfy a single desire leaves man laden with a number of unsatisfied others gnawing at him; desires abound, but satisfactions are relatively few. In real life most people experience either frustration or, in the event of occasional success, complete boredom.
In Schopenhauer's words: "All willing arises from want, therefore from deficiency, and therefore from suffering. The satisfaction of a wish ends it; yet for one wish that is satisfied there remain at least ten which are denied. Further, the desire lasts long, the demands are infinite; the satisfaction is short and scantily measured out. But even the final satisfaction is itself only apparent; every satisfied wish at once makes room for a new one; both are illusions.... No attained object of desire can give lasting satisfaction, but merely a fleeting gratification; it is like alms thrown to the beggar, that keeps him alive today that his misery may be prolonged till the morrow" [1].
Suicide provides no escape. In the first place, it is a final irreversible act motivated by considerations which might turn out to be a gross blunder. In the second place, the will, i.e., the tormenting forces of this world, is eternal, and consequently will persist in the afterlife.
Escape from Evil (Human Salvation). For Schopenhauer, there is one means of escape from the misery of this world -- extinction of desires. Repudiate the desire for life, but not for life itself. Annihilate the will, desires and instincts, and be content with nothingness, a state of Nirvana (absence of desire). One might think that contemplation of Platonic Ideals (which, being independant of space and time, are free from the sting of will and instincts) could also bring relief, but this mode of escape can at best achieve only partial salvation.
An Ethics of Sympathy. Schopenhauer recognizes the necessity for compassion. Inasmuch as every person's life is tragic, and each experiences his special torment, he must not condemn another for evil actions, but pity him. We are all "in the same boat" caught where we do not wish to be, without much control over our wretched state; therefore it is unwise to condemn a neighbor, and we should show him compassion to help alleviate his condition. "It is this compassion alone which is the real basis of all voluntary justice and all genuine loving-kindness. Only so far as an action springs therefrom, has it moral value; and all conduct that proceeds from any other motive whatever has none. When once compassion is stirred within me by another's pain, then his weal and woe go straight to my heart, exactly in the same way, if not always to the same degree, as otherwise I feel only my own. Consequently the difference between myself and him is no longer an absolute one" [2].