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I am curious as to what you think is an evil thing to do and what is a good thing to do. It can just be words does not have to be a long answer. You could just do a list of good and evil and that would be okay.
What Do We Think Evil And Good Are To Us?
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That is what I was hoping this list would prove. That one mans evil is another s good...
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I do believe in a good and an evil, I am not sure if there's a universal and absolute definition to each but I think it's highly relative to one's own value system and ethical code.
There are many things I see as evil; for example, abusing children. I personally find that children's innocence should not be touched or taken away from them in any fashion. Also, honor killings, crimes of passion, etc. I find them to be very evil. Hurting others or subjecting people to pain, because one can (aka power abuse) is on the top of my list.
The acts I consider as good fall under helping others; protecting the helpless, ending poverty, advancing and improving human life, aiding someone reach their potential, caring for family members, saying kind words or showing support or understanding, smiling, returning the favors back or paying it forward. Doing good because one can is on the top of this list too.
Of course, you always get situations where the line between the two is fuzzy and you can't tell whether one action falls under good or evil, and I think that's where the (somewhat inevitable) grey area comes in.
There are many things I see as evil; for example, abusing children. I personally find that children's innocence should not be touched or taken away from them in any fashion. Also, honor killings, crimes of passion, etc. I find them to be very evil. Hurting others or subjecting people to pain, because one can (aka power abuse) is on the top of my list.
The acts I consider as good fall under helping others; protecting the helpless, ending poverty, advancing and improving human life, aiding someone reach their potential, caring for family members, saying kind words or showing support or understanding, smiling, returning the favors back or paying it forward. Doing good because one can is on the top of this list too.
Of course, you always get situations where the line between the two is fuzzy and you can't tell whether one action falls under good or evil, and I think that's where the (somewhat inevitable) grey area comes in.
toska
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If you help someone and they feel good about it and you feel good about it, how is that evil just because it's not a "selfless act"?
Avva
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Every act has ulterior motives, even if it is subconsciously
toska
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Yes and the ulterior motive is that you try to build a bond and hope that person would do the same for you, although you shouldn't expect it. I still don't see how this could be evil.
toska
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Hhhm ok. I still have to disagree. I think there is such a thing as general goodwill and wanting to see others reach their full potential. The more people succeed, the more they are able in turn to help others, so it's a never-ending cycle of goodwill and creation of opportunities for others.
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I agree that killing and abusing kids is wrong. And there are other things too. I think killing another man is wrong. I also understand that you have to defend yourself but I wish it was not so. I also agree that nice things are things that help others. I wonder if it is ever nice to help yourself? It seems to me that there are nice things that end up not so nice too. But I also realize that bad things have to happen so we can grow in this life. So after all my searching I guess you just have to accept life. You get what you get and some times you get lucky enough to guess right. Some mistakes you never come home from.
just me
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If I were to list some of the evil I have seen under the sun, I would dare venture to say there would be those that would disagree they were evil because they have already chosen to believe evil does not exist. Does that negate the word and its meaning? No. What about devious? We could go on and on. I really would hate to see a thread filled with evil things. I would not wish to read about them. There have been some books in my life left unopened, and for a reason.
Good things would be fine.
I see this as a precursor to the great debate and thus choose to sit this one out.
Good things would be fine.
I see this as a precursor to the great debate and thus choose to sit this one out.
SammyWiches
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I think the concepts of good and evil were created by humans, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are real or not real.
For example, we can classify a criminal as evil because of some sort of terrible act that they committed, but are they truly evil? What if they have a psychological disorder that made them commit the act?
Or we can say that a person is good because they commit acts of kindness, and selflessness. Yet many of us say that it isn't necessarily good because there are ulterior motives, whether they be conscious or subconscious.
Yet when we look at an animal...
So a cat kills a mouse. It is evil? No, we say it is natural, a predator that killed its prey.
Maybe another cat walks over to someone and licks their hand as a sign of affection. Are they good? Or does it just want food? Or does it just want affection? We don't know.
Basically, my beliefs are the the concepts of good and evil were created by our human minds. I'm not saying that it is actually the case, and I'm not saying the concept is bad either, it is actually quite interesting to think about.
JUST REMEMBER PEOPLE: these are just my personal views on the subject...it isn't written in stone!
For example, we can classify a criminal as evil because of some sort of terrible act that they committed, but are they truly evil? What if they have a psychological disorder that made them commit the act?
Or we can say that a person is good because they commit acts of kindness, and selflessness. Yet many of us say that it isn't necessarily good because there are ulterior motives, whether they be conscious or subconscious.
Yet when we look at an animal...
So a cat kills a mouse. It is evil? No, we say it is natural, a predator that killed its prey.
Maybe another cat walks over to someone and licks their hand as a sign of affection. Are they good? Or does it just want food? Or does it just want affection? We don't know.
Basically, my beliefs are the the concepts of good and evil were created by our human minds. I'm not saying that it is actually the case, and I'm not saying the concept is bad either, it is actually quite interesting to think about.
JUST REMEMBER PEOPLE: these are just my personal views on the subject...it isn't written in stone!
TinyBubbles
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good and evil could be equated to constructive and destructive.. which sorta clarifies their meaning a little but not entirely. ultimately, i think they're two sides of the same coin, and you'd see either one or the other depending on who YOU are, rather than what the act is.
also, selfish =/= bad, and most things we do are "selfish" in the technical sense of the word
also, selfish =/= bad, and most things we do are "selfish" in the technical sense of the word
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I am figuring out that evil would be equated to an emotion of fear. It seems that while doing such deeds someone gets something out of doing it. I can say the same for a good deed. I see plenty of people doing good things and they are getting something out of it too. Usually its recognition. And the evil doer gets recognition too. So they are the yin and yang of one another. The balance of life. There must be an opposing force to everything in this world.
Makes me wonder if maybe we are living in a giant filter and death is the end of the filtering process. You will go where you naturally go. Because it's what your used too. Who can know anything for sure? Makes me wonder if humanity could would or needs to be good. We all choose where we go by our circumstances in life. We are pressured and over taken into doing things we would not normally do.
It's the excuse even though we know we are wrong. And then that anger builds into a force over time because of all the new excuses. We can see where anger gets us. But it seems to spread from one to another. People seem to feed off of anger. It's a very powerful emotion. And it leads to very inhuman behavior over time. These justifications always lead further into worse behavior to cover up and keep the behavior going.
Ever notice how some serial killers say they did not know what they had done? They just did it. Something in them snapped and they went all the way off. Not until later do they realize what they have done. It's why the death row inmate looks normal after 20 years on death row. He has changed. His anger has moved on. It's too late for him to be forgiven by society he killed. But he also has to keep living so what is that? It's too late for those who are dead but what can he do?
We ask soldiers to kill for us in Afghanistan. Do you think our bombs and missiles only hit bad people? Is it not the same thing as a man full of anger? That he would kill another man or those around him because of his anger? We are so pissed off that we are willing to kill women and children to get some one we hate? That we are going to bomb the common mans homes and destroy their entire world. And yet we are not evil ourselves. What are we guilty of not saying anything about? What evil things are we letting our government do on our behalf?
I started this thread because I was trying to understand what evil is. It seems that we all know what good is. And we all seem to know what evil is. And just like everything in life there is always a pattern and different levels of evil and good. I am trying to understand how these things work and if there is any reason for humanity to worry about good or evil. It seems that in order to enforce good you have to be evil first to do it...
Makes me wonder if maybe we are living in a giant filter and death is the end of the filtering process. You will go where you naturally go. Because it's what your used too. Who can know anything for sure? Makes me wonder if humanity could would or needs to be good. We all choose where we go by our circumstances in life. We are pressured and over taken into doing things we would not normally do.
It's the excuse even though we know we are wrong. And then that anger builds into a force over time because of all the new excuses. We can see where anger gets us. But it seems to spread from one to another. People seem to feed off of anger. It's a very powerful emotion. And it leads to very inhuman behavior over time. These justifications always lead further into worse behavior to cover up and keep the behavior going.
Ever notice how some serial killers say they did not know what they had done? They just did it. Something in them snapped and they went all the way off. Not until later do they realize what they have done. It's why the death row inmate looks normal after 20 years on death row. He has changed. His anger has moved on. It's too late for him to be forgiven by society he killed. But he also has to keep living so what is that? It's too late for those who are dead but what can he do?
We ask soldiers to kill for us in Afghanistan. Do you think our bombs and missiles only hit bad people? Is it not the same thing as a man full of anger? That he would kill another man or those around him because of his anger? We are so pissed off that we are willing to kill women and children to get some one we hate? That we are going to bomb the common mans homes and destroy their entire world. And yet we are not evil ourselves. What are we guilty of not saying anything about? What evil things are we letting our government do on our behalf?
I started this thread because I was trying to understand what evil is. It seems that we all know what good is. And we all seem to know what evil is. And just like everything in life there is always a pattern and different levels of evil and good. I am trying to understand how these things work and if there is any reason for humanity to worry about good or evil. It seems that in order to enforce good you have to be evil first to do it...
randomsomeone
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I have come to simply think of good as "what really works" an evil as "what doesn't work." Evil tends to be a non-starter and winds up limiting us and our freedom, effacing the truest "us." Evil is illusion-based, good is reality-based. Of course, there are shades and nuances to all this, but that is my basic starting point.
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I dislike the words 'good' and 'evil' for they have reference to being judged by some religious belief system. And as you say - trying to enforce it by threats of going to hell if one isn't good.
If one tries to go about their life and "do no harm" - it gets very interesting in figuring out the "harm". Am I harming someone? Am I harming some 'thing'? Am I harming myself? And what is the definition of harm. As Odyne pointed out - harming someone On Purpose - can be equated as evil. But what about all of those parents who spanked their children thinking that was the correct way to raise them? We all know that ultimately it caused harm to them. And it was done on purpose - with good intentions.
If we as a society had to actually live with and be dependent upon one another we would see first hand the consequences of our actions. But because we generally live isolated lives - we cannot see the harm we do while trying to survive. Corporations do everything for us. And if they don't - the government does. In fact - as you have pointed out - those 2 entities tell us what actions we CAN take and which ones we CAN'T. We almost have no free will anymore.
Every day I find myself caught between a rock and hard place trying to do no harm. So I end up chosing the least harm - as my limited knowledge guides me.
I guess for a person to be able to choose between good and evil he would have to be informed as to the consequences of his actions.
I once heard a quote that says - The line drawn between good and evil cuts across every (hu)man's heart. Therefor - who can judge another as evil or good when the judger is capable of doing both as well.
If one tries to go about their life and "do no harm" - it gets very interesting in figuring out the "harm". Am I harming someone? Am I harming some 'thing'? Am I harming myself? And what is the definition of harm. As Odyne pointed out - harming someone On Purpose - can be equated as evil. But what about all of those parents who spanked their children thinking that was the correct way to raise them? We all know that ultimately it caused harm to them. And it was done on purpose - with good intentions.
If we as a society had to actually live with and be dependent upon one another we would see first hand the consequences of our actions. But because we generally live isolated lives - we cannot see the harm we do while trying to survive. Corporations do everything for us. And if they don't - the government does. In fact - as you have pointed out - those 2 entities tell us what actions we CAN take and which ones we CAN'T. We almost have no free will anymore.
Every day I find myself caught between a rock and hard place trying to do no harm. So I end up chosing the least harm - as my limited knowledge guides me.
I guess for a person to be able to choose between good and evil he would have to be informed as to the consequences of his actions.
I once heard a quote that says - The line drawn between good and evil cuts across every (hu)man's heart. Therefor - who can judge another as evil or good when the judger is capable of doing both as well.
~jet
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- Good: Making a choice that is at least as good for others as it is good for you
- Evil: Making a choice that is good for you at the expense of others.
That's basically it.
just me
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+1
I have met evil people. Those that do not believe in evil would do well to hope not to meet them.