“The essence of good is a certain kind of reasoned choice; just as the essence of evil is another kind. What about externals, then? They are only the material for our reasoned choice, which finds its own good or evil in working with them. How will it find the good? Not by marveling at the material! For if judgments about the material are straight that makes our choices good, but if those judgments are twisted, our choices turn bad.”
Epictetus, Discourses, 1.29.1-3
When my son swallowed a small necklace charm recently, he was terrified of what would happen to him. My response to this external was anger because he’s old enough to know better. Then fear because I had the same terror. What would happen to him? So, choices about how to respond were abundant and after internalizing the external issues. I don’t know how “evil” would’ve been an option but maybe if I chose to scold and demean it would’ve created unnecessary trauma that may have shown itself later.