|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
brother neil
USA
752 Posts |
 Posted - May 20 2010 : 11:19:03 PM
|
something I have been thinking about/pondering lately, "evil".
what is evil, does evil really exists or is it just love in disquise. Throughout my life at times I have been scared of evil. Some would say war is evil, mankind trying to control the envioronment, conspiracy theories, chemicals in food, laws, drugs, prostitution, etc.... But on a deeper level are things such as that not love in discquise? People may want to control mother nature through artificial means, why? people have wars, Why? people may turn to drugs or alchohol, why? well the only reason people start wars is cause on some level they care. They may start the wars out of fear, but if there was not caring, why would there be fear? Why would people drink themselves into a state of stupidity, do drugs, put chemicals on plants to stop disease, etc...
so what is at the root of fear, war, the inner war, etc... Caring and caring is love. Typing this in a way I want to use a lot of words, but also realize that not many are needed. What if I or we looked at every act as an act of caring/love. how would life be different?
Now I realize having wars where people die may not be best and the most productive way to spend a life. Same as having an addiction to substances, or other things such as yelling and arguing with people. What would happen if some of us realized, very deeeply, that hey, I do this because I care.
As I am sure many of you may have gone through a period of your life where you looked beyond evil and I would be interested in reading what you have to say about "evil". Is yin and yang the be all end all, or is there something deeper then that?
thanks
brother Neil
|
|
|
stevenbhow
Japan
352 Posts |
Posted - May 21 2010 : 08:28:09 AM
|
I've come to the conclusion that evil is essentially the ego's belief in a finite existence. Things normally labeled good or evil are simply a dualistic mind construct born mainly out of fear of change. The Absolute, Divine Within, God, Shiva, or whatever name you want call it doesn't need concepts like good and evil since it experiences everything as eternal Bliss, as do we when we strip off enough of our karmic junk and remember who and what we really are.
But, this isn't to say that war, murder, poverty, racism, destruction of the environment ect should be ignored. I think working to turn these things in a more positive direction is a much closer reflection of Bliss than doing nothing or doing things that could be called evil. |
 |
|
|
solo
USA
167 Posts |
Posted - May 21 2010 : 09:02:25 AM
|
Lots of different thoughts on this.
1. Some people define sin as separation from God/the divine. In that frame of reference, you could say that the only 2 states that exist are in union with the divine (a state of love) or not in union with the divine (self/ego/separated). Hence, evil would be the latter.
2. Sin in my experience stems from self...I want this, I desire that. So self would then be the root of all evil. When you are connected to the divine and to all, you let go of self and desire. There would be no war, no drug addictions, no murder if everyone were selfless or free from ego.
3. Evil/sin is the self/ego's substitute for love of the divine. We reach out for drugs, sex, money and power becaus they are temporary fixes for the void in our life that is created by being separate from the divine.
Just my 2 cents worth... |
|
|
|
machart
USA
342 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2010 : 9:29:08 PM
|
I'm sure most here have heard of this eRumor...but I like it so will share for those that have not seen it...
This has a thought provoking message no matter how you believe. Does evil exist?
The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists?
A student bravely replied yes, he did!"
"God created everything?" The professor asked.
"Yes, sir," the student replied.
The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil."
The student became quiet before such an answer.
The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.
Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?" "Of course", replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"
"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question.
The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody and every object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (- 460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have too little heat.
The student continued. "Professor, does darkness exist?"
The professor responded, "Of course it does".
The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."
Finally the young man asked the professor. "Sir, does evil exist?"
Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. "These manifestations are nothing else but evil."
To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love, that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."
The professor sat down.
The young mans name --- Albert Einstein
|
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
Beyond good and "evil"
