Good and Evil

Whats the difference between good and evil? lets look at this subject without any religious dogma.
What if i told you that in a thousand, or maybe tens of thousands of years from now it wont matter how good or evil you have been in this lifetime. Good and Evil are two sides to the same coin. Some people feel satisfied playing the benevolent role, while others love to indulge in wickedness. While you may feel holier than others by playing the good guy role, the odds are that it is more beneficial to join the darkside. Usually those who claim to be the good guy aren't perfect and they shouldnt be judging the "evil" things others do, until their wickedness affects you personally.



Lets look at some things like rape for example. In the animal kingdom rape is a natural thing that occurs everyday. What makes us better than the animals? our sentience? I dont believe that, i think animals are just as with it as humans are except they dont have the capability to devolop a sound language and grasp science at present. Maybe oneday, they will.

What about stealing? in the natural world animals steal food from each other and noone bats an eye. but as soon as you steal anything from someone you are a criminal, but even theft of large magnitudes by humans stealing from each other goes on without anybody giving a crap.

Murder. Animals kill each other all the time, and not always for food. They will even kill their own kind over territory and things of survival.

Sexual sadists. In the animal kingdom its been recorded that a dolphin will masturbate with a decapitated fish, so whats unnatural about wicked attraction? some people will torture people while they have sex with them or will kill them during the process.

There are two sides to every coin, and you shouldn't be afraid of yourself or what your capable of. You could be in a situation one day where you have to resort to cannibalism, one of the great "Evils." Really all you are doing is eating the same thing that you are so eating a human is probably better for you than most of the mcdonalds and other junk food. You could be in a situation where you are forced to do sexual things that may seem evil, or you may have to steal something to survive.

My advise to you is that if you prefer to be the benevolent person, keep that role up without becoming a holier than thou prick, and if you indulge in evil things, do it in secret. Being Evil is not socially acceptable but I've been told that to reach enlightenment one must accept things that are not socially acceptable. I personally would remain neutral to good and evil, and be in the middle somewhere, just an average person who does bad things sometimes but also does good things on the other hand.



My left Wing is that of a Dragon, The right is that of an angel.
My right hand says good, and my left says evil.
My left eye sees all that is holy, My right eye sees only wickedness.
My right foot stands over the land, the left over the sea.

a reply to: Belcastro

If your going to bring religion into this, then I would say that in revelation it says to let the righteous be righteous and let the wicked be wicked. Also, Hell is reserved for the beast, the false prophet, and the fallen angels like Satan.

Btw im not condoning any good or evil activity by any means, sometimes you can do more harm by doinga "good" thing than what is socially accepted as evil.

double post cant delete.

Sounds like to me you are trying very hard to excuse evil actions with goofy, false philosophical BS.

Guilty conscience perhaps?

originally posted by: olaru12
Sounds like to me you are trying very hard to excuse evil actions with goofy, false philosophical BS.

Guilty conscience perhaps?

i dont do anything that benevolent or malevolent, i dont indulge in most of what ive been going on about, ive done some bad things but ive also done really good things, im only human, but I ask you what is so false about what ive been going on?

a reply to: Belcastro

Lets look at some things like rape for example. In the animal kingdom rape is a natural thing that occurs everyday. What makes us better than the animals?

Because we know the difference between good and evil, or good and "bad", "ungood", whatever.

Try not to see it as doing good or evil though. What we will be held responsible for is going against what we know is right in our heart. Especially in regards to how our choices affect others.

I'm not going to give an example because one mans trash is another mans treasure and that will start a flame fest about whats right or wrong. Even the definition of that is as multifaceted as there are peoples opinions.

Good and evil?.
Depends what perspective you have.
I see the monsters who behead people evil..those people doing the beheadings see their actions as good.
I liked your op and noticed the yin yang symbol in the moon
I follow a simalar philosophy as tapists and grey jedi.
Follow the path in between the two good and evil.

a reply to: boymonkey74

Btw does anyone else see the yin yang symbol pn a full moon? Or just me?.

originally posted by: Belcastro

originally posted by: olaru12
Sounds like to me you are trying very hard to excuse evil actions with goofy, false philosophical BS.

Guilty conscience perhaps?

i dont do anything that benevolent or malevolent, i dont indulge in most of what ive been going on about, ive done some bad things but ive also done really good things, im only human, but I ask you what is so false about what ive been going on?

Didn't your parents teach you right from wrong? Did you do bad things knowing it was bad?
Being human and hurting others doesn't excuse your actions. Take some personal responsibility and make restitution or apoligize to those you have wronged. That's what humans do if they have a conscience. Bringing in the animal kingdom into this argument is total BS and you know it!!

It's clear as to what you are going on about!

originally posted by: olaru12

originally posted by: Belcastro

originally posted by: olaru12
Sounds like to me you are trying very hard to excuse evil actions with goofy, false philosophical BS.

Guilty conscience perhaps?

i dont do anything that benevolent or malevolent, i dont indulge in most of what ive been going on about, ive done some bad things but ive also done really good things, im only human, but I ask you what is so false about what ive been going on?

Didn't your parents teach you right from wrong? Did you do bad things knowing it was bad?
Being human and hurting others doesn't excuse your actions. Take some personal responsibility and make restitution or apoligize to those you have wronged. That's what humans do if they have a conscience.

It's clear as to what you are going on about!

Yeah i've done bad things knowing it was bad, everyone has. Noone is perfect. Everybody has a consience and knows "Right from wrong." I have nothing to apologize for, I simply do not judge good or evil. Of course i take responsibility for my own actions, But what if ididnt, and got away with it? would it even matter to you? especially if you never knew what it was i did. Or are you being one of those holier than thou people i warned about becoming?

and like i said in a thousand years this conversation wont even matter.

How is bringing the animal kingdom into this complete BS? last time i checked humanity was on that list. We are all animals, I dont judge anyone for behaving as such.

a reply to: boymonkey74

I see the monsters who behead people evil..those people doing the beheadings see their actions as good.

Do you include Coalition airstrikes in that assessment? Bombs kill many more people, including children ( beheading them as well) than a few dull knives.

But you don't see the bombs and their effects as much as.

See no evil, hear no evil?

originally posted by: Belcastro

. Or are you being one of those holier than thou people i warned about becoming?

Resorting to namecalling sort of proves my point, eh?

a reply to: Belcastro

I would look at it like this that most being's that do evil are really thinking they are doing good. It may not look like it on the outside of it but for them they are doing an act because in their midn it needed to be done.. I twas the right action to take.

and for the good I think beings that do good are constantly thining how this will effect others before they act.

and I wonder are we throwing out forms of insanity or are we lumping that in as evil as well?

and would anyone consider theivery an ecil act? or someone who is a thief evil??

a reply to: intrptr

Of course I do my example was just an example to show good and evil depends on your perspective at the time.
I mean does anyone wake up and think right iam gonna be evil today.
Apart from mojo jojo and dick dastardly.

Also what if you do things that appear evil but doing them for the greater good in the long run.
Still evil?.

Also what if you do things that appear evil but doing them for the greater good in the long run.
Still evil?.

a reply to: boymonkey74

I mean does anyone wake up and think right aim gonna be evil today.

Yah, they do. Psychopathic Narcissists enjoy the pain they inflict.

I'd list them but there are too many, beside they hide behind a facade, never looking like what they are.

a reply to: intrptr

Yup must admit they do. I used to care for one and he gave me the willies.
Nothing like mojo jojo and more like hanibal lector/freddie.
But when one has no conscious they do as they please for their own amusement.

But even them are capable of good if it serves their own purpose.
So is that good? Or evil?.

a reply to: Belcastro

Seems to me that you are taking a mega-view of a dicotomy that truly belongs in the micro or personal-view of reality. Good/Evil are not 'out there' so much as 'in here', meaning one's 'state-of-mind'. Our external behavoirs reflect reflect that 'state-of-mind'.

Useful/Skillful vs Not Useful/Skillful are a better way to approach the subject (due to centuries of collective projection of Good and Evil - they are trigger words at a cellular level for us and therefore not useful).

We have thoughts, sometimes 'good' and sometimes 'evil', and we get to choose which ones we act upon and that is the salient point. Choice. ('Feeding the 'good' wolf or the 'bad' wolf as the story goes.) We make the judgement about what 'thoughts' to act on based on a number of criteria but mostly 'self-interest' as we perceive it in the moment.

I can go through the stages wherein Skillful behavior becomes Skillful thought but it isn't really my point.

This is hard to explain; what went before was easier to explain largely because I get that and am working with this now.

Good and Evil are judgements and very prone to accumulated personal experience and belief. We manifest our 'judgement' in action, as you say in acts we judge as 'good' that may cause harm or help and we have no way of predicting the outcome. So basing our actions on judgements is an unskiled approach to life and mental health.

The only thing we take with us when we die is our 'state-of-mind' and this determines our 'destiny'

We torture ourselves about our good/evil actions and thoughts which is also unskilled and very harmful.

So instead we practise equanimity. Equanimity is looking at each situation (phsycial or mental) with fresh eyes. It is becoming aware of 'when-we-judge' and pulling back from that judgement. It is waiting and listening.

And from that mental space, one can act with clarity (never with certainity) of purpose.

Which brings us to Intent. Sages through the ages (even todays biological evolutionists) tell us that Selfish Intent is unskillful and that Selfless Intent is skilled - meaning that survival (of body, mind and spirit, as individual and grouping) is promoted by Selfless Intent and cooperation.

The only thing we take with us when we die is our 'state-of-mind' and this determines our 'destiny'.

I've found not-judging the hardest thing to spot (in myself), drop (as much as possible), and change of anything in life but also that my limited (oh so very limited) sucess has been the most powerful and useful thing I've ever tried.

I don't know what you are searching for - I suspect happiness which is universal (we move towards those things that we perceive will make us happy and away from those things we think will cause us suffering) - but in the end searching is all that really matters - all roads lead to Rome, as they say.

without some standard for what is good and what is evil we would all have a much lower quality of life and life expectancy.
do want the same quality of life and life expectancy of animals?
If you are willing to give up your quality of life than by all means remove good and evil from your personal moral code,most of the people in prison have done that and look where it got them.

I`m satisfied with my quality of life so I`ll continue living with good/evil as a part of my moral code.
if you want to live like an animal I`m sure there are plenty of places on earth where you would feel comfortable and you`re welcome to move there.