"The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
Above is my Google Quote for the day. I thought it was appropriate and timely considering all of the stuff going on in the world. However, when you get right down to it, the world probably isn't any more dangerous today than it was a hundred, or even a thousand years ago. The threats have just changed a bit. Instead of Mongol hoards or bubonic plague, we have Jihadi Terrorists and Ebola -- well really, the disease side of the equation is under much better control. There is AIDS, but it is primarily limited to those whose behavior is risky or perverted. All the old diseases are still around for the most part, but there are medicines to treat them. There is some concern about drug resistance, but proper usage generally will do the trick anyway.
You know, I guess most of the problems are related to human behavior. Dictators, terrorists, criminal and drug gangs, perversions, hunger for power, greed, and similar behaviors cause most of human suffering. There are natural disasters, but they generally affect those who ignore the risk -- such as building in a flood plain, living in Hurricane Alley, or on the slope of a volcano, or in earthquake prone areas. It almost all comes down to the human animal and our own cruelty or stupidity. If that could be fixed, this old world would be pretty safe.
Maybe Einstein was right, we just need to step up and do something about all the evil people in this world. But, if we decide to eliminate them doesn't that make us just like them? Here it would be easy to tip into the realm of moral relativism. Who determines what is right and wrong? -- what is evil and what is good? I personally think that anyone who disagrees with me is wrong, but then I find myself disagreeing with myself. Is there a single standard for good and evil? Some might say that what is generally accepted by the majority of people is the standard for good, or correct behavior. I guess that makes abortion good. I don't think so! We must look beyond the human animal for a standard.
That brings us to God. The next question is whose God? Is it Jehovah God of the Christian and Jewish scripture, is it Allah of the Muslims, or is it some other god that is accepted by another group of people? Who determines which god sets the standard?
I ask you the question: How do we determine what is good and what is evil?
2 comments:
I leave it all up to him my Pilot, the big Kahuna in the Sky , My Father ../lol anyone who disagrees with me is wrong- I am so blessed .My friends cackle around about this and that I feel anyone can beleive whatever they want, and choose to do whatever. My choices are to spread a little of my blessings and anything good in my little piece of the world . Not a big thing, but I think I influence a few every day
It's a tough place to live but we don't have much in the way of alternatives.
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