It is often assumed that positivism is virtue and the equivalent of love, while negativism is corruption. Evil persons promote those assumptions to deflect opposition to sin. But in fact, the whole purpose of material life is to overcome sin, and negativism is how it is done. So most, but not all, positivism obstructs the process.

Positivism and negativism are somewhat incompatible; but they both have essential purposes. Therefore, they must be promoted separately, which means at different times.

Positivism is needed for accomplishing complex things with groups. Negativism is needed for correcting errors or corruptions.

It is not good to mix negativism with complex interactions, because it is disruptive. It forces everyone to get embroiled in the inanity of a few.

Also, corrupt persons will use squabbles as a disruption tactic. They justify or promote corruption through fights. By getting a battle going, they do or say things which would not normally be acceptable.

So attempts must be made to diminish conflicts in complex social environments. Things which are wrong have to be overlooked to facilitate higher purposes.

But the need to suppress negativism under these conditions is all the more reason why the problems must be taken up some other time. This means negativism is needed when circumstances allow.

There is a very strong tendency in the world to avoid negativism in attempts to conceal corruption. See no evil, speak no evil, do no evil is how evil is promoted.

If one person is accountable for corruption, then everyone is accountable. Therefore, corrupt persons will not confront anyone's corruption. When they have to take up differences, they avoid all moral implications. They would rather use an economic explanation for problems.

That standard does nothing to diminish conflicts. It forces conflicts underground, where covert degradations are covered with a masquerade of congeniality.

What Christ said was this: "keep salt in your hearts, and you will be at peace with each other" (Mark 9:50). Salt was a metaphor for criticism. He was saying criticism creates peace. It does so by ending conflicts.

The world promotes an opposite ethic. Its net effect is that there is no sin but the truth about sin. In other words, every corruption will be ignored, and when someone criticizes a corruption, they produce the only sin.

Christ also said he does not give peace as the world gives peace (John 14:27). The theological explanation is that he gives the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit salt in our hearts? Christ was teaching human responsibilities.

The world gives peace through a charade of congeniality. Christ gives peace by overcoming sin with truth.

An example of the charade is reconciliation. In effect, it says everyone must stop arguing. But the only persons who have an argument to make are the victims. So reconciliation says the perpetrators can perpetrate with impunity, and if the victims respond, they are creating trouble. And that's the world's concept of peace.