We are being told that the human race on planet Earth is the ultimate experiment. One of the main purposes of this experiment is the exploration of all facets of negativity (to understand it and its possible useful applications); also to transmute and integrate this energy higher dimensionally.
Diverse schools of thought and bodies of knowledge have given different and sometimes vague information on the origin and causes of negativity on our planet. Christianity, in effect, states it is due to the Temptation plus man's sins. 'Temptation' we can interpret as negative input, and 'sins' simply means negative actions, or to avoid unnecessary guilt, we can call them mistakes. Another major source claims that man is entirely responsible (entirely his negative actions), though much of the New Age stresses that things have gone too far and that the suffering, etc. was never intended. However, ascended master material has validated the notion of an initial input--from the Dark forces.
Part of the paradox is that negativity needed to be researched and preferably have it run out into all its extremes and possibilities (this has been done now) but ethically one would never plan suffering. Channel Robert Shapiro channelling the spiritual entity Zoosh gives us a satisfactory answer (at least as a general idea).
Briefly, 2% negativity was planned for Earth's human civilisation. With this degree one could not even break one's leg but could stub one's toe, get annoyed or feel impatient. There is no way this small degree of negativity would have got out of hand. However, Zoosh tells us that the human race at its inception needed more feminine energy. This suggestion, even warning (from a 'Divine feminine emissary') was rejected by the 'council of creators'. Within 100 years (of billions of years ago) this drastic mistake was recognised.
We conclude that the human race didn't stand a chance---in particular, as a result of the interference from fallen angelics. Negativity expanded into all its horrific aspects, extremes and varieties. We are told the experiment is over and a clean-up is taking place. Research results?--that a small percentage of negativity will give growth to a civilisation. Negativity has now been integrated within the learning curve.
A follow-up query might be: are we victims of this experiment? Apparently not, since before our individuation as humans on Earth, we were partially the creators of this experiment, that is, were a portion of the creator of this creation). However, one might still conclude that this is paradoxical because of the subsequent lack of awareness during the experiment. [Is the hypnotised self, during an agreed upon hypnotic session during which painful, traumatic incidents are run, a victim of the waking self?]