About Good and Evil

A book I read offered two statements and asked readers to examine using their own experiences as optical instruments to magnify the truth concern good and evil and its place in the realm of our existence. The first of the two states “There are absolutely clear guidelines about what is good and evil. These apply to everyone, whatever the circumstances.”(Holfstede) 229. While the second says “There can never be absolutely clear guidelines about what is good and what is evil. What is good and what is evil depends entirely upon the circumstances at the time.” (Holfstede)229

I must admit right away that my strict religious upbringing immediately embraced the concept of the first sentence, but after careful reflection of my personal experiences I could see that the lines of demarcation began to blur at such noticeable fashion that there was no way to turn this into a personal declaration without the acknowledgment of both good and evil’s dichotomy.

I am one who believes in the moral and spiritual aspects of good and evil and that these two are merely dimensions of a vast number of moral standards and categories. Good and evil, sound simplistic but they lend themselves to the deepest caverns of classifications of motive’s true nature. Good or righteousness as the religious sects of the West call it; has to do with following precepts of Divine correctness in a way that is beneficial for building character as well as improving the overall perception of fulfillment and success in spirit as well as the earth realm.

Good has been attributed to being correct, true, and just, to name a few; and we expect that its partnering with aspects, such as worthy, useful, complete, genuine, and pleasant could and most often would create balance in human reasoning by adhering to these positive characteristic.

Evil has been synonymously associated with the words like sinful, malicious, offensive, and wicked. It is most often considered to consistent with malevolence and chaotic imbalance in ones spirit. My experience has allowed me to see both good and evil create circumstantial outcomes that, while questionable in appearance were befitting to the situation.

However there have been many evils that have cloaked themselves in wholesome garments of goodness and crept their way past what we perceive as the divinely right, costing many a persona to be shattered, torn, and destined for failure, while rightness seemed to be a sledgehammer in the hands of zealots intent on pulverizing every opponent in search of moral superiority.

Oftentimes evil’s persona is that of the elusive the twin of good because both share the genetic structure that can create the backdrop for preparation and preservation of human existence and can have the same affect upon the psyche of individuals affected by their presence.

One type of evil, often winked upon in our society is frequently overlooked even though it has a lasting impression upon our yesterdays, nows, and laters is the evil that has been considered just compensation for a harvest of ill-sown deeds. Karma, reciprocity, and the like have given us proper sanction to applaud the deeds and effects of evil all in the name of good though our(s)heroes, super friends and deities that are idolized in literature both secular and sacred.

My personal belief points me to an Omnipotent God that through absolute sovereignty in biblical history would often require some dastardly things of some of His most ardent followers. However contradictory they appear to me, I dare not refer to these acts as evil without somehow seeing that there was a motive of Divine good present for my predestined path.

It is the motivation that determines good or evil, not the belief or act. And no one interpretation of the two entities will be right for all circumstances for they are intertwined with the established principles of our perceptions and environmental circumstances. Evil’s motivations of greed, dominance, fear, and implied superiority over another is in my opinion wrong. The same goes for bigotry and homophobia whose roots are hatefully xenophobic in nature. These abhorrent character traits have brought good fortune and great wealth to a fairly large segment of participants of these practices and beliefs and are seen in no ways wrong by them.

Good on the other hand does not stand in flawless luminance. She has been known to array herself in tactfulness that may promote the telling of “little white lies” for the purpose of peace and or protection or disguise herself as a tribunal “beatdown” for a horrific deed perpetrated against a loved one. Both may carry repercussions that may be felt in all families involved for generations to come, but the motivations prove to be noble therefore we accept them as good and give them our approval.

Just as beauty’s interpretation is in the eye of its beholder so is the likes of good and evil’s true motivation are encapsulated in all our actions. It is our privilege and right as humans to try and understand our true motivations a take a solemn look at ourselves introspectively so that our goods and evils are beneficial to all who are affected by them yesterday, now, and later.

I understand good and evil in their rightful place, my intent is to render good for evil as often as I am able; but I am by no means perfect and or justified by saying I’m all good…But I can and will say, no matter the outcome or the means of the solution…It’s all good and whatever the situation good follows me yesterday, now and later.

Works Cited

Hofstede, Geert and Gert Jan. “Cultures and Organizations Software of the Mind”. McGraw-Hill. New York. c.2005