Blog 3: Ahmed

I believe in absolute good as I believe in a seemingly unprovoked fight. There is always something you don't know. Whether it's that the "victim" just insulted the perpetrator's dead mother, or that he owes him money, or maybe he jumped a friend of his.  Some people would say he is justified if the "victim" insulted his late mother, others believe he shouldn't strike someone merely because of his words. This doesn't mean the victim is always at fault, he may be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I believe there is a "war" between good and evil, though it's more of an internal fight, with lines that you may cross. Each line signifies something that you perceive as good or evil.

What makes the idea of good and evil so powerful? It's our perception of it. If I see Ms. Kleppinger as an example of ultimate good, than that is what matters. If I know her to be a bad person that did something good, than what? Is she now an example of someone who is evil, and had a slip up? Or if she would normally just leave it there, for the owner or someone else to pick up? Does that make her good, bad, neutral, or some combination of? I could go on for days. There are so many possibilities I could list, and even more that won't occur to me. This isn't a concept I've always had, I didn't even recognize it until this summer. When I gave the cousin, that everyone knows likes me, a hug. This caused a literal shitstorm of accusations, ideas, and tinfoil-hat theories. If it had been a guy or they didn't know she liked me, then their reactions would of been different. They may not of seen me, her, or the situation as evil. Heck, over here in the states you may see the fact that she is my cousin, as enough for it to be evil. Not that I gave her a hug, but the fact that she is my cousin.

Good and evil have to exist, as much as left and right because they're a lens through we view others. Admittedly, we aren't always right, but that man you avoided walking next to because of his rough look and manner might of meant you harm. Or he was a lonely man, just looking to enjoy your company. You will never know, because you judged a persons character based on their outside. Universally, we see that is despicable; there's even a saying for it, "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Though in my limited experience we've all "judged" a book by its a cover. Whether or not we've regretted it or felt justified depends on the outcome. All this means is that we condemn others behavior or ideas, or condone it based off our experiences with them or the subject. This is the most we are capable of doing, seeing things inside of our perspective. As a consequence we, human beings, misinterpret things all the time.