Do you sometimes feel like there is good in all of us?

Originally posted by Stop-loss!


Can people who normally do evil things in their past get a second chance in life? Can we ever let go of our hate on other cultures and help one another instead of belittling them? I hope when SHTF we can cooperate with each other rather then serve our selfish needs,but then again this is reality.

edit on 9-2-2011 by Stop-loss! because: I grew up a screw up

From my favorite book, "Many Wonderful Things"

"Q. What message can you give to the despondent man that might give him new hope, help him pick up his life again, and find the easier way?

A. If he truly desires the easier way, he will desire a contact with God, a partnership with him, a recognition of God within himself; for God can solve-- and will do so--any human problem we may have. God wants, above all things, to share His love, His understanding...a partnership with each of us.We feel a desire to take an easier way, when in truth we are making it more difficult for ourselves. God is the easier way. He must turn to God-- the God within himself-- desire a contact, express God through himself despite outward evidences of insurmountable obstacles. It is not hard! It is not hard! God *is* available at every moment, eagerly waiting for our desire for contact. He will help us overcome any difficulty, any obstacle, if we but turn to Him. Sometimes that is the only way we will turn to God...when we are in panic; but God responds with all love, all understanding. He realizes that we make such foolish mistakes. God does not judge or condemn our human frailties, but rather, our expression of love. Turn to God---the God within yourself--- and realize, the power you hold within yourself to overcome any obstacle, problem, difficulty! God *is* love, and would share that love. We feel we shall be condemned to eternal fire, or the loss of the presence of God, through these mistakes, but...no, no...We only make our learning more difficult, longer, a harder trial. Turn to the God within yourself, and take Him as a loving, understanding partner who will share all good, all love eternally!"


Personally, i believe we will all learn to love...eventually.

Originally posted by andy1033
reply to post by randyvs

 

Exactly, if you go through what i have now, and this has been done to many others i assume, you really see how group think is just basically useless. Group think basically means the group is wrong, but just because they are the group, democracy makes them right, lol.

Alright then like this. I don't see it, as a matter of who's right or wrong subjectively as I do objectively.
That is to say, basically, your perceptions according to your own experience through your own life.
Can't be known by anyone but you. So for me to try and say you are wrong and you're just a negative
person. I could only do that, based on what I have percieved. Which really shouldn't mean a damn thing
to you, that being the case. However, if I take some time to think. I'll have to ask myself, why does he feel that
way.? I then can see how unfair it is to you only, That cause and effect must be major players as to your rendered opinion of most people. It's the long version of, it's not your fault, the you view people, the way you do.
That's why I said, try to see why other views are different from yours. So that you gain new perceptions.

reply to post by randyvs


At least you understand others have different perceptions than you, and that life has shown them other things than you have seen. Shame everyone did not understand this, and group think rubbish would not be so prevalent.

Atonement might very well be something always held in the future. This is what drives us in the directions we face, and the challenges we are given; it may take years to unfold so the first step is Forgiving yourself. No one ever can forgive you, no one outside of you, only you can forgive yourself.

The "inner child" still needs to be forgiven and nurtured because that was the first dreamer. It all comes full circle when we have a "life review", and the circle is far from over, so there is plenty of time to find the answer. Our only task is to be on the path.

I sit here and think of my own personal atonement and find myself realizing that I was never being punished as much as I was to myself. We punish ourselves more than others, or at least I do, so I keep forgiving myself.

Beliefs and personal differences are usually a matter of personality and upbringing, however, although on the surface they seem trivial when compared to the reality of war, we must understand how blind most people are to the realities of this world, and how attached they are to thier beliefs. For example, when we watch the news, we hear of the fatalities overseas, however, the picture is biased. We are not kept up to date (at least not in the collective mindset) about the amount of civillians that have been killed, or the amount of enemy that have been killed. Also, we are shielded from seeing the images of the dead and suffering. If we are told about that bomb blast that took out more civillians than enemy, and shown the graphic pictures, and the suffering and destruction in general, we might take a step back and think about the war, and think about how much was really a genuine response to a genuine threat, and how much of it was pure revenge. In terms of scale, the attack could represent a child throwing a stone (i.e. afghanistan) at a full grown man, and the man (the US) retalliating by beating him half to death.

I can see good in people, however the collective state of awareness is so low, and most people are so self-absorbed, that it will take a near miracle for them to wake up and realise the error of thier ways.

Yes, learning what is the dark squares and choosing the light, and seeking to grow past this world, its traps, and make U-Turns in our lives, is what earth and this school is all about. Pray, meditate, no matter what spirituality, Christ or the Spirit of Peace and Love and all that is the Highest Good in existence, we can ask for the Spirit of Peace and Love to be in every heart, and for our eyes to be opened, for our sight to be healed, that we may see and recognize the light squares and seek to become Goodness, to grow up and serve others with gentleness, kindness, charity, patience. And take our flaws and shadow into prayer/meditation and ask for help.

reply to post by Stop-loss!


You recieve forgiveness when you are genuinely repentant. While Jesus was dying on the cross, a thief hanging next to him expressed repentance, and Christ told him, that day they would be in heaven. It's a matter of the realization of repentance. This is because you are basically a good person. There are humans out there who are not good. Those who say, "It's never me, it's all of you! I can do no wrong!" I have dealt with those types, they are like scary cold blooded reptilians.
I hope that you find good luck for yourself, I am a military Vet who was homeless for a long time. You need to know that the VA has had an influx of money for services not available when I was in trouble. Don't hesitate to overcome pride, if you need the VA.

reply to post by Stop-loss!


The only way to let go of hate on other cultures/people is to introspect. All people are people no matter which way you slice it, the things they do/have done are a result of their surroundings/upbringing. Change the basis for hate and you will have no more hate.

well brother....

Good and Bad are relative terms..... products of social imagining. They dont really exist.

If Hitler won the war he'd be seen as the worlds greatest hero..... not villain.


all you can really ask yourself is : How do I choose to relate to this ??

You can embrace it or condemn it.... either way, the Past will never define you.

reply to post by Stop-loss!


Forgive me if I'm reading this wrong, but what I think you are saying is that you feel like the evil you have done was what happened while you were in the Middle East? If you are speaking of those times specifically, unless you are one of those that did bad things intentionally and own your own agenda, then I can't really hold anything against you... not that it's up to me anyway, but on a personal level, I think what you did over there was what you were programmed to do by the military. It was your job. Now, you're out of there, you see what was wrong with it and you have regrets? Please forgive me if I'm seeing this totally out of context. If I have indeed gotten it right, then the fact that you are waking up and questioning things is proof enough that there IS good in you. I don't know what YOU did as an individual while you were there, but it's hard for me to look down on someone who was doing what he/she was taught was his/her job, but is now questioning it. Again, it's not up to me AT ALL... I'm just trying to explain the whole good/bad thing, from my point of view and based on what you've said.

I can see how easy it would be to come out of there with grudges against certain cultures. I hate that prejudices exist, but if you were taught that certain people were bad, yet you can look back and see things from the point of view of those people, then you still have plenty of good left in you. I think it's all about seeing the bigger picture.

I am one of those people who believe there is good in everyone. Granted, I can see where those who think that good and bad is relative, are coming from, but I have to believe that there is something in us that makes us see how some of our past actions were wrong. There's a reason why we have regrets and wish certain things had never happened. There is a reason why you are questioning all that went on while you were over there. If you were "bad," you just wouldn't care at all.

I agree with DancingBear, who said that people are people. Some of us are more educated, some of us have more money than others, some of us are better at seeing the "big picture" than others, but when it comes right down to it, we were all born onto this little place called Earth as human beings. We are each raised to believe in what is right and wrong and who is good and who is bad, but I think true good comes in when you start to question what you've been taught to believe and make up your own mind. If you regret the things you've done (and I'm saying "you" in general, not YOU specifically) that you think were wrong and you feel bad for those things, then I think that is proof that there is good. I think we all have good in us... it's just up to us as individuals to "find" that good. Some people never find it, but I still think it's there.

I'm sorry that this is long and rambling and I'm sorry if I complicated it at all, while trying to explain how I see the whole thing. It was hard to put my thoughts and feelings into words, but when it comes right down to it, you are thinking about the actions of you and your fellow troops and what happened over there and wondering how your actions affected the people on the other side of the war, then I think that goes to show that there's plenty of hope.

If you would have been born in a world without war instead of the current world, you wouldn't have done the same things in life. That's what I believe, not to say I don't have to take responsibility for my own actions but I don't want to forget I'm only reacting to the environment I was born in, which just isn't utopia, born in an imperfect world everything you do in there becomes imperfect.

In response to the real question, there is good in us all, however we are faced with a world that only supplies us with a limited amount of resources, and due to that fact, inevitably, there is going to be some level of pain and destruction.

reply to post by gemineye


In combat if you hesitate, you or someone you care for can get killed. Thats what they teach you since day one. Before the army I have never harmed anyone at all but once in the battlefield its kill or be killed. Looking back you might have done things differently but nothing you can do to change what happened in the past. I now do things on my own terms without having to be told what to do. I will no longer harm anyone non-threatening to me now that I am somewhat free from government control.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

reply to post by Stop-loss!


Ok, that's what I thought you meant.

And I think there's plenty of good in you and I'm sure those other troops who were there with you as well. I can't even fathom the things you experienced over there but now that you are running the show for yourself and choose to be a good person, I have to believe that your heart is in the right place.

reply to post by gemineye


Some, if not most believe the same thing. When I would question why we were there and what our true purpose was for being there, they agreed it was all done without good intentions. Altough being in a 3rd world country made me more wiser then before now that I have experience what true poverty in another country is like. I can now go to almost any 3rd world country if I wish and still somewhat adapt to their standards.

To OP...

Yes, you can always redeem yourselve. Just make sure your doing it because you feel it is right, not because a religion told you. At first I question good and evil, but in the end I found the true nature through experience. What you should also realize in EVERYTHING is neutral. When you get into even more spiritual concerns you will realize this is just a play. Evil (negativity) is the greatest teacher, good (positivity) is the greatest healer. Just use your mistakes no matter how grim as lessons. The use this darkness to create empathy toasted others with light.

Your in a cornerstone to choose positivity and megitivity. The more negativity one experiences the more powerful they will be in positivity. I won't go too further with that because that is a totally other story. Just don't let the negative consume you, control it and use it to create light.

It may or may not seem abstract or fantasy. Just try it and you will see.

reply to post by Passafist


I think I understand what you are saying. Because I have lived in a poor upbringing and getting sent to a even more poverty stricken environment I have learned the true value of life. No religion controls my thoughts or actions. I respect those that follow religion but not when they try to shove it down my throat like those people that knock on my door in certain mornings. I think you know who they are.

Originally posted by IntastellaBurst


well brother....

Good and Bad are relative terms..... products of social imagining. They dont really exist.

If Hitler won the war he'd be seen as the worlds greatest hero..... not villain.


all you can really ask yourself is : How do I choose to relate to this ??

You can embrace it or condemn it.... either way, the Past will never define you.

This is along the lines of my thought process on the matter, There is no such thing as good or evil it is all a matter of perspective, for example capital punishment varies from state to state, that is too say, "Morality" and "right and wrong" varies from state to state.

To take this a step further, I do not believe in selfless acts either, that is to say, that they do not actually exist. Anything you do can be reasoned out, I help this person, because it either makes me feel better, or it will alleviate my guilt.

Everyone feels differently in what they should and should not do for others, everyone has different opinions on what others should or should not do for others. The simple answer is in the end, you have to do what it is you want too do. Whether you can balance your conscious into a state that pleases you or not only you can know, but if you truly feel guilty you're going to be self forced to try.

This is a very interesting topic I'm not gonna talk about religion because I'm not religious but what I am going to say is that I believe that people do deserve a second chance some more than others (but thats just my opinion) I believe that there is good in all of us and it is up to us whether we decide to use it and if we drift away form the good it's important that you realise that you have to go back