coolguy Posted March 17, 2013 #26 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Evil on a human level is allways high.they kill, steal, do bad things if thats not evil then what is.its a shame that people do bad stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Merton Posted March 17, 2013 #27 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Good and evil are Yin and Yang: neither can exist without the other. Good is being of help; evil is doing harm. Sometimes the same act does both and therefore is both good and evil. When you do good things you aquire positive merit; you lose it or aquire negative merit when you do evil. When an act is both, the merit either is aquired or lost in proportion. Its all very mechanical and not judgmental, but we can view it as judgement and it comes out the same. What "merit" is, is the only hard thing here. We can interpret it as a game score, or as some sort of magical aura, or just simply the tendency in nature and human society for those who consistently play against the odds to ultimately lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutemi Posted March 17, 2013 #28 Share Posted March 17, 2013 There certainly are a lot of problems on this planet and if we concentrate on them it seems so disheartening but it also gives us the chance to work against evil, to try to bring change to this world. It can be depressing looking at the problems that so many ignore, as they follow their addiction to materialism, camping outside the I-Poop shop waiting for the latest gadget. While a child dies every 5 seconds of not just starvation but Diarrhoea from dirty water! You are a person that cares and the world needs more people like you, so get active to try and change things. I got involved in the ‘International Day of Peace’ last year and it was heartening to see just how many caring people there are, from so many different back grounds. We can make a difference by helping good causes, we can’t wait for the politicians they are bought and paid off. The corporations and governments own all the media they pump us full of fear so they can control us but we have the internet and we can use it to join the world together one to one. So don’t get depressed get active, as Beany posted we can make a difference. I support save the children and clean water in Africa. Every little bit can make a difference. ‘Be the Change, you want to see’ by ‘The Luminaries’ one of the songs inspired by the ’International Day of Peace’ great song, great vid. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReaperS_ParadoX Posted March 17, 2013 #29 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Not at all, just taking control of my world and my life, and making conscious choices about what kinds of influences I let into my life and how I react to them, in an ethical and moral way. And a determination not to give in to despair, because that disempowers us all, and there are lots of people & institutions that have a vested interest in convincing us of our powerlessness, because that makes us easily manipulated. There would probably need to be people with this attitude happening on a massive scale before you would actually see some change in the world A lot of evil is done by people trying to do good. I dont understand what you mean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markprice Posted March 17, 2013 #30 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Are we talking about "evil" on a human level, or a spiritual one? Or both? If it was spiritual it would be Evil and Divine. I've never seen anyone get that right; the misinterpretations of "good and evil" at a human level are like comparing apples and insanity (evil contains an element of insanity). It just doesn't work that way. Good and bad apples works fine for those who don't accept divinity. If you accept divinity this concept goes to another level where the use of the word evil is appropriate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutemi Posted March 17, 2013 #31 Share Posted March 17, 2013 R4z3rs. How about 100 million in 119 countries? I think this is the figure for 2009, last year was far more. For those interested here’s a short documentary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReaperS_ParadoX Posted March 18, 2013 #32 Share Posted March 18, 2013 R4z3rs. How about 100 million in 119 countries? I think this is the figure for 2009, last year was far more. For those interested here’s a short documentary. [media=] [/media] okay thats a step in the right direction i guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastly Decimal Posted March 19, 2013 #33 Share Posted March 19, 2013 For me, using the terms "Good" and "Evil" have always been confusing because they change and vary according to circumstance; and also because there's no one macrocosmic enough to view all the interlinked events and tell what is good and what is evil. I view good and evil as "Constructive" and "Destructive"; makes the whole thing simpler to hash out. Everything is a mix of the two; all you have to do is put them on a scale and see which one is heavier. Rape, for example, is constructive in that it gives the rapist a short-lived thrill, but destructive in that it violates the victims right to consent and destroys their life for years after (maybe forever). And the destructive part is heavier than the constructive part. As for the why does evil exist question, I think the problem is viewing humanity as the end-all, be-all. You have to look at the span of the planet and see that we're just a blink in the eye of the universe. As far as we know we're the only 'conscious' creatures that have ever existed, but we're still bound by the laws of nature. Nature is violent, nature is cruel. "Evil" takes place all throughout the kingdom. The only difference between us and them is the fact that 1) we can fully understand and experience the effects of evil, and 2) we're the only creatures who do evil for little or no reason. As for why that is... No idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. K. Posted March 19, 2013 #34 Share Posted March 19, 2013 One of the "isms" that I remember reading about claimed that good and evil are just meaningless abstract concepts. Our behavior is based upon a biochemical response to external stimuli, and our response is pre-determined by our biology, so it doesn't matter what we call it. Our actions are simply reactions, and have no inherent motive; therefore, there is no good or evil action. I can't say that I agree with that philosophy, but you can kind of see that outlook in some of the more famous serial killers, for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regeneratia Posted March 20, 2013 #35 Share Posted March 20, 2013 There has to be a balance, imo. There is no good without evil, no light without dark and vice versa. Nature is both chaos and order, both ugly and beautiful. I get that. Enlightenment sees that there is some good in the bad, and there is some bad in the good. And that it is easier not to define things as good and evil. To me, enlightenment falls at the meeting point of the two opposites. Enlightenment is just seeing things as they are, rather than seeing things by the definitions we use to explain them to others. things just are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regeneratia Posted March 20, 2013 #36 Share Posted March 20, 2013 If it was spiritual it would be Evil and Divine. I've never seen anyone get that right; the misinterpretations of "good and evil" at a human level are like comparing apples and insanity (evil contains an element of insanity). It just doesn't work that way. Good and bad apples works fine for those who don't accept divinity. If you accept divinity this concept goes to another level where the use of the word evil is appropriate. I just think that the definition is what makes the thing seem evil. I am not duelist, either/or. I am both either and or, good and bad. Everything is a part of both opposites. Shakespeare says that there is no right or wrong, just thinking makes it so. Dr. Robert Anthony says that there is no right or wrong, there are just different sets of consequences. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markprice Posted March 20, 2013 #37 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I just think that the definition is what makes the thing seem evil. I am not duelist, either/or. I am both either and or, good and bad. Everything is a part of both opposites. Shakespeare says that there is no right or wrong, just thinking makes it so. Dr. Robert Anthony says that there is no right or wrong, there are just different sets of consequences. Okay, but what if evil had a will of its own? Good and bad do not have a will of their own because they are opinions, but Divine has its own energy so Evil does too. Consider an evil will based on its evil energy influencing people. If you don't want to get hurt you would have to fight that or serve it...know what I mean? That said, if you can see the difference you would have to choose one or the other. See how adding the original meaning: Divine changes how you look at evil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Merton Posted March 20, 2013 #38 Share Posted March 20, 2013 There would probably need to be people with this attitude happening on a massive scale before you would actually see some change in the world I dont understand what you mean Hitler thought he was doing the right thing for the human race by trying to eliminate the Jews. Pol Pot thought he was doing the right thing for Cambodia by wiping out the older generation to create a clean slate for his utopian new people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxdom Posted March 20, 2013 #39 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Problem with people they are trying to associate it with the + - part of the morality scale and not the actual scale itself. Evil would be when the scale is unbalanced(I think we can all agree that Hilter and Pol Pot were unbalanced mentally right?). Good is used twice. As the positive on the scale side and when the scales of judgement is balanced. So when it comes up in language it gets confusing. ( Doesn't even change my understanding consent bit ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReaperS_ParadoX Posted March 20, 2013 #40 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Hitler thought he was doing the right thing for the human race by trying to eliminate the Jews. Pol Pot thought he was doing the right thing for Cambodia by wiping out the older generation to create a clean slate for his utopian new people. Yeah thats true but Hitler hid most of his ideas until he got into a position of power so he must have thought that others wouldnt like his ideas, same thing for Pol Pot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted March 20, 2013 #41 Share Posted March 20, 2013 man invented evil God made night Man made darkness ~ Spike Milligan evil exists because the world created as it is now can't exist without evil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regeneratia Posted March 20, 2013 #42 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Okay, but what if evil had a will of its own? Good and bad do not have a will of their own because they are opinions, but Divine has its own energy so Evil does too. Consider an evil will based on its evil energy influencing people. If you don't want to get hurt you would have to fight that or serve it...know what I mean? That said, if you can see the difference you would have to choose one or the other. See how adding the original meaning: Divine changes how you look at evil... By taking away your ability to have power over evil, not just it's definition but also it's results, you have fallen into a very duelistic trap. If you claim to have a part in each, to see each as a part of the other, then you can control it. I honestly do not think you can seperate good from evil because they are part of the very same thing, part of the same spectrum of human and incorporal capabilities. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regeneratia Posted March 20, 2013 #43 Share Posted March 20, 2013 (edited) There is a thoughtful story about a poor farmer and his son. I will be hacking this story up a bit but the moral remains intact. The poor farmer and his son were barely able to make ends meet. They toiled day and night to feed the family. One day, there was an accident, ... one involving the son, who thus lost a leg. The farmer was totally distraught. Besides the concern for his son, now with only one leg, the farmer was also concerned about his farm and how he was going to make ends meet. He struggled. But somehow, they were doing better than before, despite one less laborer on the farm. It seems the son was good on the business end of things and had the time to develop marketing practices that aided in the income of the farm. Knowing this, the farmer was once again happy. Then there came a time when his home country went to war. The farmer was again distraught, for his son would not be able to fight in the war to help save the country. This war led to the deaths of most of the community's sons. He saw neighbor after neighbor lose a child due to the war. Upon watching all this, the farmer was once again happy that he still had his one-legged son. The war was eventually lost. The farmer became yet again distraught. His country was invaded and a new government was set-up. Much changed for the country following the loss during this war. Yet as time passed, while the son carried on his good business sense while the farmer toiled on his small parcel of land, the farmer learned that the invaders placed higher value on developing agriculture. He received more money for his produce and was able to buy more land. The farmer was once again very happy. The moral of the story (and I will also be hacking this up a bit), and there is more than one moral, is that there is good that comes with the bad, and there is bad that comes with the good. This story also teaches us that we cannot allow the peaks and troughs of the cycles of good and bad to influence our happiness or our faith in ourselves and/or others. We must accept the good with the bad and the bad with the good, because they walk hand-in-hand. Edited March 20, 2013 by regeneratia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markprice Posted March 20, 2013 #44 Share Posted March 20, 2013 By taking away your ability to have power over evil, not just it's definition but also it's results, you have fallen into a very duelistic trap. If you claim to have a part in each, to see each as a part of the other, then you can control it. I honestly do not think you can seperate good from evil because they are part of the very same thing, part of the same spectrum of human and incorporal capabilities. The power over evil is choice; people are not more powerful than evil but can choose Divinity if given the choice, or good on a daily basis(Greek). Try to find evil in an angel; it can't be done--by definition--unless that angel had at some point chosen against the divine becoming evil. Like I said: if the divine is not accepted then all you are left with is good and bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SYNAPSE Posted March 21, 2013 #45 Share Posted March 21, 2013 it is, why after i try and try again:is everyone still messing things up? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLogic Posted March 22, 2013 Author #46 Share Posted March 22, 2013 I think people who are "evil" are just mentally deficient. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyboy52 Posted March 22, 2013 #47 Share Posted March 22, 2013 A quote I remember of my childhood (a looooooong time ago) from my mother was, son without the bad days there wouldnt be any good days, ....... if my ma could read my mind, she would've slapped me silly for I would be saying to myself, Shut up ma I want every day to be a good day! Funny how when we get older we realise our parents were right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
True Lotus Posted April 2, 2013 #48 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Why does evil exist? Surely their must be some sort of end to evil, I hear on the news everyday about so much evil. But what about kindness? Love? Happiness? Do these things not exist? Maybe I'm being optimistic but I believe that one day evil will just die out and there will only be good left. Hopefully all things such as: Rape, Murder and Hatred will just die out. The world would be a much better place rather than the putrid abyss that it is today. Well to answer the question of why does evil exist the sad fact is there can never be good without evil one side can not exist without the other. How would we know what good is if there was no evil to compare it to? Even if lets say for the sake of argument there was a period of time in which we achieve Utopia a perfect society with nothing bad in it. can it last? no it can not because evil is apart of human nature for where ever there is human there will always be a conflict inside every one and remember when you were a teenager or at least some point in your life you either revolted out or thought about it thought about revolting just going against the authority why is this I don't know other then its part of our human nature. and at that point when some one does revolt against authority they will be seen as evil and evil will once again be reborn worst then ever because there will be no guidelines for them to follow and they will do what they feel like. at least with our society it may not be perfect but at least with things like gangs they have rules that they follow some more respectable then others but they all have rules other wise there would be no evil it would just be chaos, and would no longer be considered good or evil. so you see everything is connected to each other on a fundamental basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod222 Posted April 2, 2013 #49 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Why does evil exist? If evil did not exist, good would not exist. By definition, you need one to be able to describe the other. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Merton Posted April 2, 2013 #50 Share Posted April 2, 2013 If evil did not exist, good would not exist. By definition, you need one to be able to describe the other. This is true enough but couldn't we have more good and just a little evil? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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