Everyday Musings > Good, Evil and the Greys

Any battle where there are two sides - good and evil - is an easy one. Which is possibly why Religion and Fairytales are often a sanctuary for many. They seem to offer a choice of either-or premises where one is marked 'Good' and the other 'Evil'. And one needs to pick a side, preferably the Good one. It's peaceful, simple and the blanket tag absolves us of relative thought. It's a sorted life.

In a world of no clear definitions, where we do not have a simplified for-and-against in our daily lives, culpability is never absolute. There are the teeming Greys we need to account for and that requires deeper thought. Every decision then is a study of context and actions are relative. One definition will not fit all. It can be frustrating.

Those who fight a Good and Evil battle are playing an easy but dangerous game - Corporations (evil) - Common man (good), Politicians (evil) - Common man (good), Synthetic (evil) - Organic (good), Respect (good) - Irreverence (bad), Patriotism (good) - Criticism (bad), Participation (good) - choosing to not be part of the popular sentiment (bad); it is one that seems to offer power, confidence and clarity, but in reality encourages injustice, prejudice and herd-like collective thought.

When one delves deeper into Religion or looks into the symbolism in Fairytales, things are not sorted - there are more questions than answers - it is an unending quest. Good vs Evil was a simplification, a placebo for life. The game of the Greys requires constant weighing - to look beyond and identify the source of issues, to deal with them as individuals instead of as an collective, to question popular sentiment and apply deliberate judgement with each incoming issue.

Does that mean that this is the Good way and that was Bad? No. It simply means we have more choices than we think we do.