Between Goodness and Evil

Some thoughts on how we define right and wrong

 

How do we define right and wrong? I mean what's the reference? Not the written one, that's easy. But where is the reference in us? The inner guide?

I believe holy Books contain the truth, but we might misunderstand them. Should we blame the religions? How do people judge when faced by choices?

I am not seeking a solution, but merely an explanation.

 

Misinterpretation of the Religious texts and commands. A very common problem I have seen. Everything in the world, every text, every rule and every command, can be understood in many different ways. It's easy to misunderstand the meaning, and to get a wrong explanation.

 

But why? It all depends on you. Each of us has his own personal nature, back ground, ethical scheme … and his choices.

 

Our nature is the way we all were born. I tend to believe that we all were born on the good side of nature. Devoid of evil in its most accepted form. We are born in an all pure state, except for our natural desires. Still, something inside each of us makes him unique in his own way. Different than the others. Some kinda flame or light that takes a different shape inside each of us. It's the core of our existence and our soul. It defines the good and the bad, the right and the wrong. And recognizes both. Some kinda moral compass. And in the darkest times of our lives, at the times we have to choose between the right and the wrong, it's this core that helps us choose. It's this core that helps us choose to be good or evil. But this flame doesn't choose for us, this is important, but it makes us more oriented to the ways. And it makes us see the right and wrong. Some people's compasses are not that shiny, they tend to deviate from the right direction, these people are more easily seduced. Others' compasses are more tuned and more accurate, they suffer less on the way to finding the right path.

I believe this core is never touched, it remains the same all through our lives, it just might get more shining or less shining depending on how frequent we use it. But we can never lose it and can never change it. Yet I think almost no compass is completely good or completely bad, we all are somewhere between the 2 extremes.

 

Our background means our experiences. The things we see, hear, read, say and do. The summation of all these experiences is what we call our personal history. And through it we define our heritage. Sometimes it's forced, but mostly it is not.

 

Now this Background will play a role in the process. Through time and pressure, the accumulating events in our background interact with our core, our nature. Each person has to do 2 things in each situation, act and judge. We do both helped by our compass. When we face a choice, a difficult one, like being bribed for example, it's our compass that will guide us to the 2 things:

Act: accept or refuse the bribe.

Judge: accept this as a normal thing from now on, Judge all people as being corrupt, Refuse this and keep our faith in humanity... etc

 

This is how our core affects our background. But in the same time, our background affects our core. When you are being continuously reminded of how to make the right choice and refuse the wrong one, it gets easier for you to find your way, and your compass becomes more shining. But when you are being continuously tempted, continuously pressed and pushed, with no one to keep reminding you of right and wrong, it gets more difficult for you to see the right choice. You still feel it because you have a good compass in you. But you suffer more.

 

Now comes the 3^rd components of the equation. Your ethical scheme. Your ethical system is based mainly on your core. But again it might get a bit deformed by your background and how those around you define right and wrong and the temptations you face. But it MAINLY depends on your core. You will never be completely happy by killing someone unless your nature is totally corrupt, no matter how others try to convince you. So our ethical system is mainly a product of the interaction between our core and our background. As if the core provides the hot metal and the background provides the mold. However good the shape of the mold is, it's the kind of metal that determines the final quality.

 

When we are faced by choices, we act based on our ethics that came from the interaction between our nature and our experiences. And we CHOOSE.

 

So when we face a religious text. We see the truth. But we see it through our eyes. We see more of "our own" truth than of the ultimate truth. We interpret the same words by our own different ways. Isn't it the same "Holy book" that some people saw as a source of peace and Love, and some other people saw as an inspiration for the crusades and for imperialistic campaigns starting from middle ages till a near time? Isn't it the same Qur'an that inspired many great Muslim leaders to ensure the Christians their complete rights, while some saw only the words of war inside and thought they must "hate"?

 

God knows that. And It's the test that we all must pass. To try rid ourselves of prejudice and bias and listen to the voice of truth. But can we? If God just created us with certain natures and we act upon these natures, where is the test? What will we be judged by then?

 

The answer is: by our CHOICES, the last part of the equation.

 

As I explained, I believe none of us has a completely pure core, nor a completely corrupt one. We all vary between goodness and evil. We all are different shades of gray. And statistically and philosophically, you'll find that most of us must lie in the middle zone. With less people as we go toward the extremes. Most of us are neither very good nor very bad, it's our CHOICES that makes us either. And how more we can take the heat.

Much less people are more defined, more "very pure" or "very corrupt". How many extremely good people have you met in your life? Quite a few. And how many extremely evil villains? Same answer.

 

So It's the same test that we all have to take, and it's the same resources that most of us have. But with a bit of variation. And a bit more or less resources for some of us. At the end of the day, it's what we CHOOSE that makes the difference.

 

In essence, we have our compass that tells us what's right and what's wrong. Our experiences affect how we see things. The interaction between the compass and the events around us develops our personal ethics. None of these things: Our compass, our experiences and our ethics is responsible for making us good or bad. They just guide us and make things either easier or harder when we are faced by tests. IT'S OUR CHOICES DURING THESE TESTS THAT MAKES US GOOD OR EVIL.

 

That's why the power of choice is the strongest of all. It's what makes us humans, that we get to "choose". And it's the most dangerous power of all. By it we are tested and judged. I believe the power of choice is the trust that God entrusted us with. Without it there is no point of our existence. And that's why I believe that oppression and discrimination are against religions. Because they deprive humans of their ability to choose and we act in God's stead. Which is against God's doctrines. Only God has the right to judge us as long as we don't harm others morally or physically.

"إنا عرضنا الأمانة على السموات والأرض والجبال فأبين أن يحملنها وأشفقن منها وحملها الإنسان إنه كان ظلوما جهولا "   الأحزاب: 72 

"We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish" (Quran 33-72)

 

I believe God gives us all the choice and the chance. We all get to choose between the right and the wrong. And we all have our weaknesses and temptations. Will we choose to resist or fall? This is the question.

 

 

"فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفاً فِطْرَتَ اللهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لا يَعْلَمُونَ" {الروم:30}

 

"So set thou thy face steadily and truly to the Faith: (establish) Allah.s handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by Allah. that is the standard Religion: but most among mankind understand not."

(Quran 30:30)

Author's Note

Peace be with you :)
I am a believing practicing Muslim Egyptian Doctor. But I hate it when this always sound like an extremist. I am not, neither does my religion. In another article of mine I am trying to explain more. I hope I can by time change the world's wrong idea about Islam being a violent religion. :)

Reviews

[Nassira]

asalamu aleikum brother! You have written an excellent piece ... I took my time to read it in order to comprehend it fully, and you have explained your thoughts very thoroughly and intelligently ...
MashaAlllah! It is beautiful and so true :)

Salam to you :)