we constantly draw conclusions from outer appearances of people to their inner state or motivation.
but how often are we right with what we conclude?
and how often are we wrong?
good motivation might be disguised in bad actions.
and evil motivation might be disguised in good deeds.
as human beings we possess creative and destructive forces as well. the important thing to understand is that they “complement each other and cannot be judged by common standards of good and evil.”
let me explain.
if good motivation yields in good actions:
that’s GOOD.
obviously.
if evil motivation yields in bad actions:
still GOOD.
why?
because the inner and the outer worlds fit, and we aren’t prone to wrong conclusions.
if good motivation yields in bad actions:
can be GOOD, can be BAD.
it depends on the situation.
killing an assassin who is to kill your daughter is a BAD action with a GOOD motivation, and the outcome is GOOD for you and your daughter, and maybe even for society. and who knows if the outcome is even good for the assassin who is not an assassin any more? (maybe his mother will see it differently.)
if evil motivation yields in good actions:
can be good if the result is not what the actor intended.
but usually, it’s UGLY.
why?
because in this case, the evil man rules. and it’s becoming very hard to fight him.
(it’s how Hitler started his career)
.
do you agree?
and what did you learn?
2010 July 25 at 03:54
I agree, with one major exception.
Evil Intention:
In the USA, most of our Federal politicians are motivated by increasing their personal power and wealth – to the detriment of the vast majority of the public.
Evil Actions:
Using sophisticated propaganda, the politicians convince the majority of the population that they, and their new laws, will benefit the public. However, the results are reliably bad, i.e. long term financial disasters for 90% of the population, and loss of freedoms.
Not Good:
The public is fooled again and again due to naive ignorance of the issues and clever emotional manipulation. Thus, they are highly prone to the wrong conclusions.
2010 July 27 at 20:17
Jacques, you’re making an important point. as i understand, the public is prone to wrong conclusions because they don’t regard evil political actions as evil but as a benefit thanks to propaganda?