Category : Articles
Sub Category : World
Morality is the relative distinction between right and wrong, or good and evil. It is a system of values and principles of conduct, held by a specific person or society. Throughout history, several people, with different religions, beliefs, and outlooks on life, argue whether or not there really is good and evil in the world. Philosophers, like Socrates, study morality almost their entire lives, and have come across the conclusion, that good and evil, right and wrong, or light and dark, do exist in the world, because of one’s actions, and characteristics.
Actions are what define a person. Actions can tell a story about someone’s life, and show others what that person has been through. Socrates once stated that, “Every action has its pleasure and its price.” It is up to one to decide whether or not one wants pleasure in one’s life, or if one wants to pay a terrible price. An excerpt from an article called The Real Meaning of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’, from psychologytoday.com, states, “Good’ means a lack of self-centeredness.‘Bad’ people commit crimes.” If one were to commit a crime, one is ultimately known as a “bad person” or an “evil person”, and is locked away somewhere where one can’t hurt anyone else. Going to jail, prison,or just living knowing that some people won’t look at one the same way again, is the price one has to pay for their bad deeds. If a person is known for being friendly, kind, and having a clean record, they are labeled as a “good person”. “Good people”, are usually showered in respect, loyalty, and maybe even flowers.
An abundance of people believe that good and evil are nonexistent, and that “bad people” are people who are misunderstood, and “good people” are just attention seekers. They think that it is highly dangerous to oversimplify or label people as just good or evil because, of what labeling could do to the justice system. Despite this, labels do matter. Labels are what keep the world balanced. A quote by Janet Morris states, “It’s all the same -no good without evil, no balance. If we lose one, we lose the other. It’s just life, that’s all.” In the battle between good and evil, when good wins, society will become stagnant within the absence of struggle. If evil wins, society will tear itself apart within the chaos of the universe.
People tend to characterize the people that they meet, in order to decide if they want to meet them again. A person’s characteristics can be used to decipher whether or not they are a “good person”, or a “bad or evil person”. On higherperspectives.com, it states, “But when you meet an evil person, no amount of questioning definitions will change your mind. The truth is, you will know it when you see it.” A person who is conceited, egotistical, and narcissistic, can be easily identified as bad, while someone who is selfless, compassionate, and saintly, can be classified as good. When one comes across an evil person or a genuinely good person, they do not need to ask questions or observe their behavior, it’s their characteristics that make it clear as to what kind of person they are.
Good and evil will always exist in the world, no matter how good or evil someone or something is, because of one’s attributes, personality, and deeds. Good people typically see the good in the world, while narcissists, focus on everything that is wrong in the world. Without the even distribution between right and wrong, society will fall into a void of tediousness or mayhem.
