On good and evil

The lives of most people are spent in moving away from evil and towards good. This urge to move away from something and towards something else is one of the fundamental forces which makes the universe operate.

I cannot label things as “good” or “evil”. This is because all that we see are of Prakriti. Therefore all so-called evil too is of her. Rejecting evil is equivalent to rejecting parts of her. One cannot embrace part-Prakriti; it must be all or nothing.

There is a second realisation which pushes me in this direction: I have seen very clearly that everything we call “good” is good only contextually. Most of the time, it’s in the context of one person. It may be quite bad for other persons. The world is not exactly a zero-sum game, but what is good for me is often at the expense of some sorrow or loss for others. Those who study damage to the ecology from modern urban lifestyles will have a hundred examples of such conflicts. Therefore, it becomes clear that good and evil are totally subjective — they are outcomes of your vantage point. The sky is dark or brightly lit depending purely on where on earth you stand — these are not properties of the sky.

Being able to accept that which we call evil is fundamental to being able to accept Ma. If I am to see everything as divine, there cannot be exceptions. Hitler — or any other super-villian you select — was a manifestation of Ma. If you cannot accept this in totality, there is certainly no point in reading this document any further.

And when good and evil become indistinguishable, the usual rules of morality become contextual too. I am then asked, what then is stopping us going on a saga of rape and plunder? I find this question stupid, because I feel that it’s not moral rules which stop me, it’s necessity. What is the necessity to go exploiting or harassing others, grabbing things? What does another person have which you need or desire? How will grabbing something make you better or happier? And knowing Ma for what she is, how will you hold on tomorrow to what you grab today?

Next: The doer