Good & Evil.

It might be easy to assume that good and evil don’t really exist, and that all morality is subjective, although I believe that this idea is seriously flawed. In this piece, I will argue that the very structure of our being, and our high level of awareness or consciousness, creates the possibility of evil. I will also argue that good, or goodness, is automatically generated by choosing not to do evil. Goodness can also be generated by something like an act of kindness, obviously, but I want to focus more on the idea of evil, and the absence of it, as I believe that not doing evil is usually “good enough”. And I don’t mean that trivially, since I believe that “good enough” is in alignment with divinity and among the highest forms of love.

We are extremely sensitive creatures. All things considered, our bodies are very fragile in relation to the world around them. This sensitivity allows us to experience a broad spectrum of sensations and emotions deeply, and on the positive side, allows us to experience the joys and pleasures of life. However, on the negative side, we can experience immense amounts of pain, whether physically, psychologically or emotionally. It is here, on the negative side, lies the secret to evil. But it is not the only component. As far as we know, we humans are the most conscious, self-aware and intelligent creatures on the planet, and perhaps in existence. This is the other component. It is the combination of our heightened awareness, and our sensitivity to pain, that allows the possibility of evil to manifest.

When an animal hunts another animal, kills it and eats it, we generally don’t think of it as an evil act. That is because we think of the animal is acting purely out of subconscious instinct, and not out of carefully thought-out intent to inflict the most pain possible. And there is the difference between animals and humans. We possess a higher form of consciousness, where we can be completely aware of the type of pain we can inflict on another person, whether it is something relatively small like an insult, or something much more sinister like physical harm. And so, evil always exists in a potential state, because at any moment, a human can consciously choose to harm another human.

There is a flipside to this dark idea though. Since we capable of consciously inflicting pain on others, when we choose not to (which for most of us, is most of the time), it is evidence of the goodness within us. That is assuming the reason we choose not to harm each other comes from a place of decency, love, empathy or compassion, and not from a place of “fearing punishment”, which I think most of the time, it is coming from a good place. And so, goodness shines radiantly and beautifully, against the potential of evil. Of course, goodness can be extended in acts of love, mercy, forgiveness, generosity and more, but the fundamental base for goodness is simply the absence of evil, where there is always potential for evil. May we continue to manifest the good into the world, and give no power to the opposite.