Good and Evil, Does everyone have the same opinion ?

As I have been here at ATS for much longer than my welcome has come ... HAHAH ... Inside joke with myself there.

I have discussed many issues, some of which are alittle Left field for me and some of which are the cause of me to change some ways that I think.

None the less, there have always been Good Vs. Evil, that has come up in almost every one of the threads here. So I am left with basically one question.

With all that being said ... the question is really quite simple, In the beggining whenever that may have past. Most believe that there was nothing but Good. Or at least that is what I have presumed from most religions. Basically that there was an everlasting PEACE. Yet, Adam and Eve bit into the forbidden fruit or however your religion states that Peace was over come.

Were we ever supposed to be left with the opportunity to choose between Good and Evil ?

Can our human minds possibly look at a situation and fathom Good and Evil ?

Or do we try to put it into Percentages because we are so Blind that we cannot see what Causes most of our problems in the first place ?

The only reason I ask this is because we have so many problems that are UNSOLVABLE to our human minds. Yet, I can look at any situation and if I research the act at hand I can almost always resolve where the problem started.

Anyone else ever FIND THIS ?

Does Good Vs Evil even exists or was this something that has been made up ?


"Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are wolves and will tear you apart.

If they come as harmless sheep ... then why would some of you be afraid of them ???

LOVE THESE QUOTES .... Post a Few Below

"There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast."


""And oftentimes to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths; win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence.""

"But a resolution to avoid an evil is seldom framed till the evil is so far advanced as to make avoidance impossible."

Reminds me of those of us who turn their heads to things that we KNOW are not right, for the simple fact that they are not affecting us

"What can we know? What are we all? Poor silly half-brained things peering out at the infinite, with the aspirations of angels and the instincts of beasts."

"You remember how he would trust strangers, and if they fooled him he would say, 'It's better to be fooled than to be suspicious'--that the confidence trick is the work of man, but the want-of-confidence trick is the work of the devil."

She was beginning to understand that evil is not absolute, and that good is often an occasion more than a condition.
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Does this tell everyone else that EVERYONE has a PRICE ???

" . . . our pleasures in this world are always to be paid for . . . "

The concepts of "good" and "evil" vary from person to person. There is no set globally accepted definition of either, in how it relates to everyday actions. Granted, there are basics that are understood, but even those vary from location and situation.

* Islamic fundamentalists see themselves as "good"
* Christian fundamentalists see themselves as "good"
* Islamic and Christian fundamentalists do not necessarily see the other as "good"

* Pacifists see themselves as "good"
* Soldiers see themselves as "good"
* Pacifists and Soldiers see themselves do not necessarily see the other as "good"

Its all a matter of perspective and opinion.

This is good I like this input ... very good.

I can understand and relate to such things as pacifists and soldiers maynot see each other in terms of "GOOD" and "EVIL" ,yet,
would soldiers wreak "evil" on Pacifists ? If so, what "evil" would that be ? They woudl surely not go in and Kill them, Nor would the Pacifists go againsts their non ACTING styles and do anything to the Soldiers. Yet, they still see each other as Good and Evil.

Which answers my next question can Good and Evil coincide without War or Killing taking place. I guess that SCENARIO says "YES" it can tkae place. However I know there are many scenarions that take "Good and Evil" to different levels !!

WHAT IF ANYTHINIG MAKES IT RIGHT TO DO EVIL THINGS FOR THE CAUSE OF GOOD ?? Basically killing for "GOOD" ?? Is it all RELATIVE ?!?! Does Evil create the right for good ????

Originally posted by Reality Hurts
The concepts of "good" and "evil" vary from person to person. There is no set globally accepted definition of either, in how it relates to everyday actions. Granted, there are basics that are understood, but even those vary from location and situation.

* Islamic fundamentalists see themselves as "good"
* Christian fundamentalists see themselves as "good"
* Islamic and Christian fundamentalists do not necessarily see the other as "good"

* Pacifists see themselves as "good"
* Soldiers see themselves as "good"
* Pacifists and Soldiers see themselves do not necessarily see the other as "good"

Its all a matter of perspective and opinion.

Originally posted by Reality Hurts
The concepts of "good" and "evil" vary from person to person. There is no set globally accepted definition of either, in how it relates to everyday actions. Granted, there are basics that are understood, but even those vary from location and situation.


Its all a matter of perspective and opinion.

except for the actions of a Sociopath

a Sociopath is basically Amoral, not knowing the difference between good v bad.
and the majority will label the sociopath as bad=evil,
so there is a basic commonality of thinking & recognizing good v evil.

I think everybody knows the difference between right and wrong, but there are many who choose to turn a blind eye to these fundamentals when they wrap themselves in an ideology or an agenda, and proclaim to be doing good.

People only define good and evil in ways that benifit themselves, it's just an opinion and nothing more. It's pretty egotistical to think that you are allowed to judge things that are simply part of nature when we ourselves are just animals. Why are cats not considered evil, they kill indescriminently(birds,mice,rodents,ect) yet when a human takes pleasure in such activites it's "maddness", "evil", "un-human"? Why is it just nature when animals fight for breeding dominace, yet if a human did it they become a "beast" or "evil". Only weak complain in an environment ill suited to them, you are just lucky there are more weak people than strong. This could, at anytime, change due to environmental conditions.

Love this Last Post ... This is so true ... Animals do certain things that if HUMANS did they would be classified LOONEY !~! Why is this ?

Are we not all animals ?

Have we evolved into something totally different ?

If so, is Mammals really a class that we should be specified to be in ?

Here everyone agrees that we are not animals, yet, we all have the instinct and desire to be the best or at least fit in to the best possible way we know.

Why has conforment become the new thing ? Instead of standing up for yourself or what not ? Have we ran out of room to run off to a new country and start all over !??!

Throughout time it seems people have always had room to seperate and divide untill they are happy. What if that day has ran out ??? What if there is no more room for people to seperate and become what they want/long to become "?

My take on Good and Evil is that of Nietzsche's take on it. There is no rational and objective foundation of a universal morality. There are only different evaluations that should be classified and themselves evaluated from the point of view of will to power.

Sounds like you are trying to sell a book !!


Nietzsche's , book is a good place to possibly start looking at the Positive and Negative approaches on life but, personally I have come to the conclusion that Good and Evil are just feelings that people get and try to use against one another to point a finger or put blame on someone to get themselves out of the SPOTLIGHT. .

Look at history alittle more Closer ....

See how many times the finger has been pointed.

Good and Evil = Pointing a finger or Placing the blame ???

Good and Evil = Pointing a finger or Placing the blame ???

reply to post by Deus_Brandon



Deus, I think it is important to realize, as many of those quotes suggest. is that the presence of evil can actually lead a person to become stronger spiritually. While I am not one that thinks evil is good, I do think that it exists to help man advance spiritually.

Without hurdles to jump, where is the test? Unless we are tested spiritually, we cannot develop.

Why in the world do I see Dr. Octavious in your Avatar ? LOL .. Anyways .... Yes I believe that tests in life is the only way that you will ever feel that you have bettered yourself. At least the way that man looks at it ...
EXAMPLE: If you are a body builder and you work out everyday ... Do you get stronger everyday ?

Would you measure your stregnth everyday ?


Why or why not ?

My personal experience is that you would max out at the end of every week. But to me this was pointless if I am working as hard as I could to get stronger ... IN MY CASE TO PLAY FOOTBALL. Who cares how strong I am as long as I am working as hard as I can and as much as I can ?? Isn't that the truth to what I am doing instead of just put 10 more lbs on at the end of each week ???

I think we as humans need to slow down and realize that we are doing work to be doing the work on things such as getting better at not swearing ... As long as you are trying your best why take a count at the end of each week ? As long as you are striving to get better on the certain matter then I think that is all that matters.

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
reply to post by Deus_Brandon

 

Deus, I think it is important to realize, as many of those quotes suggest. is that the presence of evil can actually lead a person to become stronger spiritually. While I am not one that thinks evil is good, I do think that it exists to help man advance spiritually.

Without hurdles to jump, where is the test? Unless we are tested spiritually, we cannot develop.

Well, firstly, Deus, you are not adding ten pounds of weight each week unless you are taking performance enhancing supplemets.

But, anyway, yeah, I see your point. Much like weight lifting, development take time...

It takes time to develop anything ... Sorta but not really my point... I was trying to show that even thought it takes time to inprove on anything ... Why was the process of Maxing out or showing your improvement nessicary ?

Just because we want to measure our success ?

Why is this even needed ? In my ventures to work out or do better in anything as long as I am growing or getting better ... I am not where I was and I am not getting worse. Which is EXCELLENT in my book .. and there wouldn't be a need to measure the success as it is all success to me as I am Getting better/stronger/faster.

BRANDON SAYS: (CONFUSIOUS LOL): THE HUMAN CREATED THE MEASURING CUP, BEFORE THE PEOPLE JUST KNEW WHAT CONSISTENCY THAT THE DOUGH NEEDED TO BE OR WHAT NOT.

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
Well, firstly, Deus, you are not adding ten pounds of weight each week unless you are taking performance enhancing supplemets.

But, anyway, yeah, I see your point. Much like weight lifting, development take time...

I do however for the first time see that Good sometimes when working towards making Good/Better it may appear that you go through some Difficult (ALMOST EVIL) situations. Such as working out ... You may feel better after a month of working out. But that first couple of days even weeks working out is going to feel like the biggest EVIL you have ever faced ... Same as with anything ..the longer you do it the easier it gets.

I follow the universal moral laws. I realise most people don't understand what universal moral laws are, but I assume you it's very simple. Value cooperation over competition, help others don't hurt them, be open-minded not narrow-minded, love the world's different people , see yourself as one with everything, not one different from everything, follow everything genuine, don't fall in for illusions, use your mind to see beyond lies, don't let your mind be controlled by those lies, and follow your destiny with unwavering determination. Your destiny is within you, it is strong, you will find it.

[edit on 23-8-2007 by Atlantix]