Good vs. Evil-A Unique Look at a Classic Discussion

Good versus evil. Surely, everyone has heard that phrase now; it is so common as to have become nearly cliché. Nevertheless, as a people, we have always been fascinated with the concept of good and evil. God and the Devil. Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. America and the Terrorists. I am sure you can field several of your own examples of this concept in literature, movies, comics, and even in international politics. This classic discussion has its roots in the eve of humanity. With people, come good and evil.

I am sure many of you can recall playing Cowboys and Indians or War or Cops and Robbers, or something equally dramatic and appealing. Let me guess, the Indians were the badguys, and so were the robbers. When you were younger, did you write superhero comics? Was there an all powerful hero or heroine who was called to save the world? And no doubt, there was an equally nefarious villain, someone so evil and frightening you had nightmares. Did you ever write a fantasy story? A hero or heroine who needed to bring peace and justice to an otherwise dark and lost world? And there was an evil wizard, or an evil king, or anyone who could be called 'evil', right?

From our very conception, we have been confounded with the mystery of good and evil. Somehow, the good always wins and the evil is always punished with everlasting damnation or some sort of satisfactory punishment. Do you read the news? Do you read about terrorism? Whom in history might you name as an evil person? Might you say King Henry VIII, Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, the biblical Pharaoh who ordered all Hebrew babies killed? When you think of these people, do you imagine sadistic psychopaths with hearts as black as coal? Do you label these people evil human beings?

What if someone told you otherwise? What would you say to them? Would you laugh and say "You're joking, right?" and wait for them to confirm your first reaction? Well, ladies and gentleman, I am that person. I am saying to you that none of those people, not one of the supposedly evil criminals and terrorists in the world is an evil person. And I am not joking, contrary to your first impressions. By now, perhaps you are scratching your head, looking sideways at your computer screen and saying "What?!" Or maybe you are more militant in your opposition, leaping from your chair and stabbing a finger towards the screen screaming in a hoarse voice "Liar!!! YOU'RE JUST ONE OF THEM YOU *expletive*!!!" or some variation on that concept. But nevertheless, I say to you that there is no such thing as an evil person. Likewise, there is no such thing as a good person.

Now, surely, you are beleaguered and truly wondering if I am high right now, or just plain insane. I assure you I am not. But what I say is true. You may disagree with me all you like, but nothing can change truth. You can say the Holocaust never happened, but it will not change the facts. You can believe what you say and it still cannot change the truth.

I am not saying-and never said-that there is no such thing as an evil action, or an evil thought. Genocide is evil. Hitler committed an atrocity, an evil act. He most certainly had evil thoughts in his mind, and maybe he even believed them. The Pharaoh who ordered the Hebrew babies killed most certainly committed a criminal act-what he did was evil. This in itself, however, does not make him evil. Evil actions and evil thoughts cannot make someone evil, just as a good action, such as donating a few pennies to charity, cannot make a person a good person. Why, if it did, then everyone on earth surely would be a truly good person! Of course, that statement is ridiculous, and so too is the assumption that a murder, or a lie, or a theft, or an act of cheating can make someone evil.

You might say so, or think so, but when you really think about it, it is ludicrous. Writers, when you write, do you make your 'badguys' evil, treacherous, and cruel? Maybe deformed or bad-looking? Do you make your 'goodguys' heroic, honest, and virtuous? Maybe attractive and good-looking? Stereotypes, archetypes, biases, prejudices, all of them. And you have probably read more than one book that does exactly this. Make the protagonist utterly desirable and the antagonist utterly repulsive.

Ever heard the expression "Don't judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes?" Well it's true-only I amend it to say "Don't judge a person until you've not only walked a mile in their shoes, but worn their clothing, done their job, and loved the people they loved." In other words, there is no way you can accurately make a judgment-or fairly, I should say-of any person until you know what their life is like. Their background, their history, their family life, their home life, their future plans. You need to know a person before you can judge them.

Hold up, before you say "But I don't have to know Hitler to know he's evil!" or something to that effect, remember what I told you before. There is no such thing as a truly evil person. The only evil entity is the Devil or Satan if you will. And likewise, the only good entity is God, Allah, Elohim, Jehovah, or whatever you want to call Him. The only reason people have evil thoughts and do evil actions is because of Satan.

Now if you believed that because a man commits murder, he is an evil person, then think of all the times you tell little lies to get out of an assignment, or white lies to avoid confrontation, or to protect your friends. Think of all the times you have ever cheated on anything, or shoplifted anything. Those are bad, or evil, actions. So does doing them automatically turn you into an evil person? If you believe that murder makes the murderer an evil person, then yes. Obviously, this cannot be the case. It is not different. Murder is not more serious than lying. Both are bad, both are evil, and both are sins. Both are inherently evil actions that cannot possibly be good. But does doing make you a bad person?

Imagine Hitler, for a moment, if you will. Hitler killed over six million Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, mentally ill people, and disabled people, as well as political opponents during his tenure as Die Fuhrer. Of course, these were very evil actions. Imagine for a moment, that you are Hitler and you are still alive. Do you feel sorry for what you have done? Maybe Hitler did, and maybe he did not. Most if not all of you probably believe that there is no way in heaven or hell that Hitler was remorseful, and you are probably right. Do you think it is because Hitler is an evil person? I say that maybe Hitler felt he was doing the right thing. Did you ever think of that? Maybe Hitler did not see his acts as evil. Most of us if not all of us, do. But maybe he did not.

We are intrinsically inclined towards doing evil actions. It is human nature, as it has been ever since Eve betook of that piece of fruit-which we do not actually know was an apple, contrary to popular belief. We were created to be good people, without blemish and perfect, living in harmony with our creator. But we spoiled things, as we often do. (Think of the ideal of Communism, or of having the greenhouse effect, which is turning into Global warming) We have a peculiar talent for killing each other and ruining good things. And so we are no longer good people, but we are also not evil people.

I am a person just as you are. I have made mistakes and I have my own downfalls and weaknesses. I do not claim to be wholly innocent. But I do believe in truth, and that is all that I present here. So good versus evil turns into person versus person.