It's quite common to believe in good and evil. Right and wrong. Not most see this as a clear axis of black and white, where you can take one step and go from complete good to complete evil. It's rare though to see a person who has lived a good life as a good person, if he or she has done acts seen as crimes against humanity, like raped anyone. If you live most of your life being kind and gentle, but will murder one person, you'll be remembered as a murderer.
Some people, as I see the simplest minds, can think the borderline between good and evil is same everywhere. Whatever their personal morality is, they see it as a general moral which is the only right one.
I believe dancing is evil as it is a way to workship satan, thus everybody should think dancing is evil. Otherwise they are evil.
Typical, one minded morality comes from religion. I've met deeply religious people who have been worried:
How do you know the difference between good and evil if you don't believe?
Morality can come from the fear of godly judgement, from law or from other authorities. Quite many parents teach their children through the words "That's the good thing to do" or "That's evil", without giving deeper expalantions. How many 3 year olds would understand though, why not to hurt an animal?
Most of us see morality as something more complex than only something what has been taught to us as a single truth: everyone has their own viewpoints of morality. Even though you could believe some cases like murder and rape could be always seen as evil and non-acceptable, it's not the same with all of us.
He was a rapist so it was not an evil deed to kill him, but a good act to help mankind to protect our children.
I raped the woman, but I agreed to marry her after the rape. Thus I did no evil deed.
It depends on every person how far he or she can accept other peoples morality which differs from their own. It's easy to accept someone allows stealing for hunger, but can you accept the fact someone doesn't see any evil in murdering someone who is "evil" enough?
Do we all need morality?
Some say only a psychopath doesn't see things as good and evil, or more typically, they don't know the difference between good and evil. We have a strong belief that everything should be divided to good and evil, right and wrong.
Personally, I don't see the point of doing this. Good and evil can be useless ways to dtermine if something is acceptable by the majority of people, useful for the people and something we want to do. I don't see things as good and evil. For some, dividing things to good and evil can be the way to determine what to do. This causes fear in people like this.
If you don't think anything is evil, what stops you from stabbing children?
For the first of all, not wanting to do that. I don't think making love to a car is evil, but I'm still not doing it. Why would stabbing children be on my list of interests? Not believing in evil doesn't mean I would want to hurt anyone. If I'd want to hurt someone really bad, I'm not sure if belief it is evil would stop me.
On the other hand, I don't want to have a will to make "good" to others to actually do good for them. Not as in good or evil, but help them, make people happy, make people live long and healthy. I'd see it as making myself and others happy. It has no need for definition of "good".
Attributed to Tintoretto [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
We could ditch the words good and evil, as they bring zero value to us. Defining good and evil will not make anyone live a better life or feel happier. Defining something evil will never bring any real value or help making the world better. These words slow progress of humanity in understanding each other better. It's hindering the happiness we can reach and loads of knowledge we could gain.
Calling something or someone evil will not help in winning the evil. Some make the thought of being evil as a part of their characer and will live the way they see evil.
Nobody wins by turning things into matters of morality. Nobody wins when we're defining each other as good and evil.
Thoughtful post. I cannot say I agree with what appears to be a relativistic or subjective view of morality.
I believe the most profitable form of morality concerning men (morality or righteousness concerning God is another topic entirely - only in Christ) is what we commonly call the Golden rule found in verse 39 of the following passage:
Matthew 22:37-39 KJVS
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
I believe we know this rule intuitively but often our conscience will tell us when we fail to keep it. I think this is natural due to man's fallen nature (under my philosophical construct). False religion on the other hand will often impose a rigid sense of morality in others but are often hypocrites in doing so. True gospel believers, few and far between as they are, know that the law is fulfilled in love. Self-righteous hypocrites will weaponize the law using it for purposes not intended biblically.
I see a great deal of this, even in philosophical sense, requires a somewhat religious (Christian) approach to the subject, which will not open to those who do not share or know the religious teachings and morality of Christian religion.
For those who do know the teachings or do not, but are not able to feel love and thus act according to the love required, I would not say they are not in the right morality. Even though I can't even see how loving yourself and others would require it to be seen as morally good, as the love can be good even if not seen as a subject of morality.
I think this fits perfectly to your post!
Or maybe life is this :D
I have nothing to add. Gray is my fav color <3 (and orange and sometimes pink...oh and some shades of green and brown are nice too...).
I hope you're not about the famous movie about gray and shades :D
You have some really nice colors there. I'd go with blue, green, purple and maybe a bit of black and yellow.
oh gods...i do like all sorts of shades of gray, but not the book. :) Whenever there is a hype about some book i always fall for it. "Me before you" is another example...i can accept some people like it, but in my set of rules/likes and dislikes...sorry...complete rubbish.
Well you can get excited when others enjoy a book, but it's too common that the general public has very different taste in books than you have. I've seen it and as it's hard to find actually good books, I've pretty much given up on reading that much.
It's a far too big job to read books only to be disappointed.
I have nothing to add. I just came by to read and yes! can't we stop judging each other about right or wrong? and move on?
I'm happy you enjoyed the read :)
I have to add, I'm not completely against judging others, like if someone drives over your child of course you can judge him/her.. but not only based on the idea of right and wrong. It causes so much unnecessary judging and pain to others. "It's wrong to wear lipstick" "It's wrong to dye your hair" "It would be right to wear a long skirt" "It's wrong to eat broccoli" etc.
Nothing good comes if the only reason to dislike something is "because it's wrong".
Very deep man.
I completely agree that all these definitions lead to, is judgment.
We are an ever flowing river that changes throughout the course of time.
And as for good and evil... one can not exist without the other.
Thanks.
How would someone feel, if they one morning woke up and thought "There is no evil" and it could break down their way of seeing the world. "If there is no evil, is there good? If there's no good or evil, what is this and what are we?"