Okay. Maybe this is silly. Maybe this this is hokey crap. But as I experience various books and movies and as I experience life, the concept of a conflict between forces and philosophies of darkness versus forces and philosophies of light seem to make more practical, logical sense than the concept of a conflict between good and evil.
The fact that something doesn't fit in any particular brain, of course, doesn't mean much about the reality or non-reality of that something. And, further, it may be that the concept of darkness versus light actually encompasses evil versus good. It may have a lot to do with what Sunday School programs one got exposed to in those formative years.
That having been said, though, there are some thoughts about the darkness versus light clash that are worthy of note - worthy of mention and possibly worthy of paying attention.
The philosophy of Darkness states that war, anger, avarice and competitiveness are very good. These are very good because they weed out the weak, foster technological developments and fine tune the species. Under the auspices of this philosophy, it is okay to cheat people because if they are dumb enough to be cheated, they deserve to be cheated. If they are cheated to the point of dying, all the better. No government oversight is needed over commerce because people who are smart will notice if millions of kids are being poisoned and killed. If people are dumb enough to believe what they are told without checking it out themselves, then they deserve to be lied to. If people are foolish enough to ride amusement park rides that might kill or dismember them, then they deserve what they get. If we educate everyone, a lot of lower-class genes will get educations and good jobs. Government intervention is superfluous. And if people are dumb enough to be poor, let them eat cake or die.
War is a great way to cull the herd. It is especially good if there is a volunteer army - meaning that only the poor and risk takers can carry the load while those with better jobs and "higher" purposes can send the armies in and reap the monetary rewards. If soldiers are killed, there are more where they came from. If some are seriously, permanently wounded, they are not to be cared for because that would keep them around and keep them sucking resources. They should die or win and nothing in between.
And one of the nifty aspects of the dark philosophy is that it seems built in genetically in a way that the light philosophy is, but it favors anger and stress and is much easier to tap in to. When one is angry, for example, the default feeling is one that fosters acting along dark philosophical lines. A wonderful example of this is out penal system which is only euphemistically called "corrections." It corrects very little. It sucks in hurting, angry people and makes them hurt more and makes them angrier. And then it puts them out on the street to do more hurting themselves. When anyone suggests ways to actually correct what is wrong with transgressors - teach them to be more compassionate, better workers and people who care about their own well being - people rise up in rage and insist that such programs be scrapped in favor of hurtful practices that make transgressors feel more sorry (more penitent). Penitentiaries, then, take in transgressors - most of whom are very likely to be acting worse after a few years of humiliation and pain - most of whom are very likely to be acting much more like hostile, predatory, viscious animals after a few years of living like a hostile, predatory, viscious animal- and they spend years humiliating them, forcing them to behave like hostile, viscious animals to survive, and teaching them to be predators. Penitentiaries then turn out their viscious, predatory, hostiles - telling them to find a life and providing them with minimal oversight and minimal rehabilitation.
Penitentiaries - and the legal system in general - are easy to see examples of how seductive and infective the Philosophy of Darkness is. It is very easy to see people being invited to give in to their anger, indulge their anger - which then results in actions and attitudes that foster more situations where more people will be drawn in to the philosphy of darkness - more people opting to indulge in the urge to "get even" instead of compassion and an engagement in practices that will reduce anger and situations that will beget anger.
There are simply un-numbered gazillions of examples. The judge, for example, in an eastern US state that a few years ago decided that molesters would be better dealt with by giving them long, long sentences that they served in treatment - counseling and monitoring in the community - instead of putting them in the penitentiary for less years of harsher treatment. It was national new and a national outrage that the judge would be avoiding hurting those molesters - making them suffer and suffer and suffer - make them feel like the worms they are. Everyone from newscasters to government officials were up in arms, demanding that the molesters be harmed, humiliated, tortured, raped, brutalized and then, after a few years of this torture, allowing them back into society to do much worse act than they had done in the first place having been turned into animals with no care about themselves and certainly nothing but anger and rage felt toward the innocent in society. This, then results in many more acts of violence and ugliness. What is the most glaring deficit that molesters demonstrate? An inability to be compassionate, to empathize - to understand what someone else might feel. What other glaring issue? Anger and frustration mixed with poor self-esteem - the typical outcome of having been abused. What do people want done to molesters? Make them worse! Wonderful. This is the dark side in action.
The philosophy of Light can be encapsulated by referring to the teachings of Jesus and Confusious and others who have taught forgiveness and non-judgement. It is not the philosophy of those who refer to themselves as "fundamental" Christians - or "fundamental" Muslems. I am confused at how these folks label themselves this as it seems they are mostly reading from the old testiment (both fundamental Muslems and fundamental Christians) - all this about judging and rejecting, isolating and condemning - which was very much challenged by the teachings of Jesus, and, I am told, Mohammed.
The philosophy of Light says that it is better not to go to war, not to give in to anger, not to cheat, lie or hurt others. It suggests that it is better to show compassion, even if it spreads resources to the infirm. It suggests we are all in this world together and we should take care of each other, not prey on each other.
It is a philosophical difference. As far as good versus evil goes, it is difficult to assign values because most of those who believe in the philosophy of Darkness would say that the philosophy of Light is evil. And, of course, vice versa. And as far as ease of use or applicaton goes, the philosophy of Darkness comes much, much more easily and more naturally. So maybe that means it is the "best" or "right" one to follow?
Bottom line, I go for Light. I push others to go for the Light. If that turns out to be wrong or a |