Evil prevails over good in both small and big things.

I spat out my tea.

Well, figuratively. I was unprepared for this existential topic when my mom shared her sentiment.

Earlier in the morning, I noticed she’d been in a bad mood. She’s not normally moody, but every now and then, I find her in a gloomy state of mind. There is irritation in her voice and conduct, and it’s mostly unprovoked.

It was unprovoked this time. It was Saturday morning, and we’d just finished clearing our garage, which inspired me to write a story about old books.

I was unprepared but was able to muster my attention and pick up the topic quickly. I like difficult questions of a philosophical or spiritual nature. I wasn’t super busy.

“You’re like Ivan Karamazov,” I told her.

Out of three brothers in Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov, Ivan had the darkest mind. There is a scene where he talks at length about the evil in the world and how God is absent if such evil is allowed.

My Mom is quite religious, by the way.

“Well, yes. I see it everywhere. Evil is winning. The more I live the more often I come to this realization.”

I still don’t know what triggered Mom’s mood. Almost two years after she came to the US, she continues to follow the Russian-Ukraine news closely. There is no end to the war and no end to Putin. Maybe she was alluding to the war. But maybe she has other anxieties. She doesn’t get…