The concept of heaven and hell and the christian movement was quite a boost for mankind, I think it sped up evolution of humans exponentially. I don't know if it actually created or ended more wars, many wars were fought in the name of god, a lot of blood that no christian wants to hear about. As a child I of course believe in God, because I was told that only bad people didn't believe in him and of course bad people went to hell... and hell was hot and painful and it lasted an eternity which I'm sure is quite awhile. But of course then there's the transition, during those rebel years of teenage life. It's easy to blame this god everyone speaks of when things go wrong, but many people tend to not give him credit for when things go pleasantly. I'm no bible pusher, I just have come to accept this concept of an all powerful entity beyond our perception. It's not that radical of an idea, I see it as we are like bloods cells and god owns this body, a blood cell doesn't question its purpose it is just naturally pushed along the path that's intended for it through DNA and complex relations and reactions. A blood cell can't really comprehend anything beyond the bloodstream, it's just not complex enough or able to take in that kind of perception of the world. Well much are we like these cells, when you experience insanity, or a mushroom/acid trip, you experience things that just just didn't seem possible or explainable. Well with that in mind, I guess I FEEL that there is something out there.
The Christian God
Now I am all for Christians, I mean, they do a lot of good, but some Christianity is corrupt and ignorant. When someone tells me that god only saves those who worship him I get kind of angry. I don't think god created us to worship him day and night; I am certain that he has given us a choice to do that or experience life to the fullest(or both), which includes nature, love, pleasure, happiness and everything that life has to offer. I would say that taking a nature hike in the forest is more healthy and better for your mind and spirit then sitting in church singing old songs.
(I would just like to say that I don't think this is the way it SHOULD be, I just think that it is better this way for some people, and for others church is perfectly fine.)
Now as for the concept of good and evil, well I've grown up a bit skeptical about it, I just never could sit right with the whole idea. It seemed to me that good and evil is merely a matter of cultural and moral differences, people grow up experiencing a whole rage of different ideas and concepts and beliefs, this in turn creates general accepted moral expectations. Something radical is always at first considered evil, I mean at one point when no one knew anything about medical procedures, im sure it looked barbaric and dark to be experimenting with blood and organs to try to figure out what fixed them and made them work right, but now the medical industry (minus the corruption and power) is a blessing that saves and enhances all kinds of life (for example schizophrenics) At one point it was ok to watch gladiators hack and slash each other to death as im sure everyone knows now because of that kick ass movie gladiator. But now if you hack someones arm off you are pure evil and chriminally insane; your thrown into a police car then checked into the mental hospital or jailed for life.
Now as days you can beat someone up and you are considered a bad apple, nothing more, but perhaps one day hitting someone will be something only the sick, messed up people do, who knows?
But if you look at it from that point of view, you can kinda see that good and evil are not solid concepts, they are every changing and evolving continuously. What doesn't change is suffering, that is what we most rules are based on these days. It would seem that good and evil will continue to exist for many years, you say something is good you are creating something bad in comparison by doing that, and that is where we need to see beyond, we need to see that you can't have one without the other.
"That man is good who does good to others if he suffers on account of the good he does, he is very good if he suffers at the hands of those to whom he has done good, then his goodness is so great that it could be enhanced only by greater sufferings and if he should die at their hands, his virtue can go no further it is heroic, it is perfect." -- La Bruyere
Where did you get that yin/yang symbol? It's great. Do you mind if I take the image for my collection?
ReplyDeleteI rarely used the word "evil" before I became psychotic. It's a loaded word and I think people use it too lightly. My voices believe in the word, but I still don't. The word seems too final--like there's no redemptive quality left. People use the word like a cattle brand. But yin and yang make a whole lot more sense too me--within the light there is a touch of darkness and within the darkness there is a touch of light. Not all darkness is "evil" and not all light is "good". Life and the meaning behind it is more subtle, more shades of gray.
Peace,
Kate
Oh by all means take the image, tis not really mine, just found it on google; 3 years ago I looked for an image like that all over the internet, now I find it on google. I agree that evil and "good" are just not really accurate when said. I mean sure you can do a good or bad deed but that does not say for sure that you are all good or all bad. I'm glad I don't deal with voices, but I do have these inner thoughts that are kinda like voices, I mean I don't hear them but I they do effect my thought process.
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