Brian Jerome Page
I-ENC 1101
Illustration
29 May, 2013
Good vs. Evil
Whether you believe in any specific god or religion, since the beginning of times there has been a fight between good and evil. The Bible makes mention of this fight when the world was created. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.” I personally believe the fight between good and evil resides within us all. Nothing or nobody is completely evil, or completely good. We all have free will to choose either lifestyle.
One example of evil in humanity is racism. Racism is one of the clearest windows evil. The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race, gives justification to mass evil throughout our history. The human conscience plays a big role in what’s considered good or evil. Over thousands of years, culture defined what was considered good or evil. Wrapped in religion, humans realized how to manipulate scripture in ways to fit the lifestyle they wanted to live. In early America, the bible was used to justify racism. Key scriptures were constantly quoted to keep the enslaved in order, while the harsh reality of slavery remained concealed. Thankfully, the battle revolved over time. Our conscience changed and greater minds prevailed. Though deep down inside people knew racism, slavery, and hate was immoral, few stood up for what was right. Again, we all have the freedom of choice, and without people like Martin Luther King this change in conscience never would have come to pass. In modern days, what’s considered good or evil hasn’t changed. The Ten Commandments established years ago, are incorporated in American law. Children are taught the difference between right and wrong at early ages in order to prevent evil choices in their future. We are constantly at battle within ourselves to try and do the right thing, but evil is always an option. I believe there are avenues to evil. Drugs and alcohol are some examples of avenues that can lead to evil doings. Drugs and alcohol, for example are substances that have a psychological effects when ingested. This means they can have an adverse effect on the choices we make on a daily basis. However, the idea of free will does not disappear due to drug and alcohol ingestion. People make the choice to use drugs and alcohol. Therefore, if evil decisions are the outcome, it was a choice. Our conscience on the subject of good and evil as humans continues to evolve today. Our constant desire to put a face on good and evil has ushered even more room for conflict amongst ourselves. I picture a young child sitting at the heels of a wise older statesperson. The young child is telling of an evil person he has met, everything in his small body tells him that what this person has done is bad, and in his simplicity he tells the old lady that this person is evil. The