Good vs. Evil

[RedClover]

Greetings Paracast Forum! On the recent July 15th episode of the Paracast David was speaking about good and evil. I believe it is around the 1 hour 8 minute mark. At anyrate, I was curious to find out about what the forum had to say on this topic.

Is there good and evil?
Is this too binary a mode of thought, or the correct manner to perceive?
How do you feel about it?
How do you feel about good and evil in regards to the paranormal?

Cheers-
RedClover

 

[Rick Deckard]

Greetings Paracast Forum! On the recent July 15th episode of the Paracast David was speaking about good and evil. I believe it is around the 1 hour 8 minute mark. At anyrate, I was curious to find out about what the forum had to say on this topic.

Is there good and evil?
Is this too binary a mode of thought, or the correct manner to perceive?
How do you feel about it?
How do you feel about good and evil in regards to the paranormal?

Cheers-
RedClover

Good and evil are subjective - one man's freedom-fighter is another man's terrorist etc...

As for paranormal, I dunno - if we are 'spiritual' beings then logically it follows that there are good and bad spirits in the spiritual realm.

I think there's a school of philosophy that says that 'the universe' creates mirrors - ying and yang - matter and anti-matter - light and dark - good and evil. So, for every 'good' element there has to be a corresponding 'bad' element to balance the universe.

Some would say that this 'situation' inevitably leads to conflict; that war is a natural part of 'evolution'.

 

[Brian Now]

Most human beings, even the worst, would find a few things to agree are "bad" or "good"...especially if it we're talking about things that benefit or hurt us personally.

I am not sure about an absolute good or bad. I am not sure what that would be in reality.

 

[Aaron LeClair]

Greetings Paracast Forum! On the recent July 15th episode of the Paracast David was speaking about good and evil. I believe it is around the 1 hour 8 minute mark. At anyrate, I was curious to find out about what the forum had to say on this topic.

Is there good and evil?
Is this too binary a mode of thought, or the correct manner to perceive?
How do you feel about it?
How do you feel about good and evil in regards to the paranormal?

Cheers-
RedClover

1. In some people's minds there is.

2. Depends on what you are trying to do.

3. Long story, but part of it is that it's all relative. It's a matter of taste and belief that varies from person to person.

4. I stay away from thinking in terms of good an evil, especially when dealing with the paranormal.

 

[DBTrek]

As social creatures (by nature, not choice) we have found that some actions benefit and foster a harmonious society while others wreak destruction upon it.

Generally the beneficial behaviors are grouped together under "good", and the destructive ones as "evil".

Do good and evil exist?

Does a divine power exist?

Do you exist?

This is the playground of philosophy, not science. It's something you'll have to puzzle out for yourself.

-DBTrek

 

[scott]

Is there good and evil?
Is this too binary a mode of thought, or the correct manner to perceive?

David B. points out with keen perception the great child-like oversimplication our society grants to anything it doesn't like. People have been slipping on that forever. We all have far far more in common than we do in opposition, yet why do so many of our leaders demonize "the other?"

Fear and ego.

As social creatures (by nature, not choice) we have found that some actions benefit and foster a harmonious society while others wreak destruction upon it.
Generally the beneficial behaviors are grouped together under "good", and the destructive ones as "evil".
Do good and evil exist?
Does a divine power exist?
Do you exist? This is the playground of philosophy, not science.-DBTrek

Beautifully stated, DBTrek, but I would suggest that each of us, by virtue of being human holds a piece of each side. The dark side, I think, could be described as the Fear/ego side while the "good" side is the connection with the whole. All things are really just one divine force, but a part of each and every one of us is in too much pain, fear, or greed to trust that. The interesting thing is how contagious the fear/ego is, how it can multiply through a society and create evil on an industrial scale. And I suppose, if there are "evil" ghosts, this force can survive death. It seems to me the best course is to stay open to the whole and present in the moment. Then these dark streams of unconsciousness--which are also a part of the whole--just become novel reminders and hold no sway.

 

[David Biedny]

I've come to think that polarization is a byproduct of the dual-hemisphere structure of the brain - two brain hemispheres, two eyes, two ears, two hands, two lungs, two testicles, two nostrils... it's all pairs. Perhaps our minds most easily break things down into opposing pairs - us and them, good and bad, ying and yang, Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Dick and George, left and right, liberal and conservative, democrat and republicon, good and evil, etc. It's the default mode of the mind, and takes the least effort to visualize, hence, it's the mode we trust the most, it's the one that most closely matches our intellectual abilities. I mean, everytime I hear someone talk about whether or nor there are any other "advanced" civilizations in the Universe, I always wonder what the baseline is - if we're the example of an advanced race, then there are certainly other races with stone hammers, fossil fuels and blind religious dogma. When exactly did we graduate from being nothing more than talking monkeys? The God BS is not exactly proof of higher intelligence. Faith is the sign of weak-mindedness, belief is for those that refuse to think for themselves.

dB

 

[scott]

I would suggest that talking monkeys would be superior to many of our current leaders. Monkeys are inherently connected to the whole.

I feel insulted for monkeys every time someone calls W the monkeyman.

Any of us can feel the "whole" when the mind is at peace. No dogmas. Not as easy as it sounds, because of our habitual belief-structures--and all the cruelty and suffering in the news.

We live in a bipolar dimension, so in order to know the day, we have to have night, and so on. It is part of the brain. But I think another reason we choose "them and us" over just "us" is out of the fear of any tampering with our carefully-defined egos, a knee-jerk habit entrenched in humanity for eons. Even so, the brain is capable of a spontaneous, conscious resonance with nature--a definite oneness--just as easily as it can group everything into opposites.

Faith is the sign of weak-mindedness, belief is for those that refuse to think for themselves.dB

I'd also suggest that holding firm that all forms of "faith" are for for the weak, may be another trap in itself, another kind of belief, to separate yourself from those who aren't quite as "enlightened." Again, "them vs. us."

 

[RedClover]

Thank you so much for your responses. I think it’s important to discuss this topic because it seems to strike at the heart of how some of these experiences are interpreted in the first place.

The paranormal seems to exist just out of arms reach. Once it has been collected and quantified, then it can be understood and is no longer in the realm of mystery. The point here is that to those who have had a paranormal experience, it’s usually terrifying. Extremely terrifying. Once fear enters into the equation, then thoughts of good and evil seem to quickly pop up.

Because these things are so weird and beyond our grasp, then the experience seems to quickly move into a land of extremes. For example, good and evil. However, I think that David really hit the nail on the head during the interview. Assuming that these experiences are somehow independent of the subject(s), perhaps the “entities” need that energy. Maybe they need that energy to continue to manifest themselves wherever they are.
I am now speculating all over the place, losing any rational credibility and extending my sentence structure beyond its common limits. Nevertheless, I would at least like to come to some understanding of the situation.

I do not believe in the concepts of evil or good. I believe that any species will find a beneficial quality in the demise of another. It is sad and it is painful, but that seems to be the way things work. Bacteria love war, parasites love hosts and vegans love salads. The cost of life is death. However, while I am alive and enjoying all of the benefits of destruction, I still love trying to understand the world around me. Therefore, within the paranormal realm of inquiry it matters little what I think of good and evil. What does matter, is what those who have experienced paranormal episodes think of it.

Thanks again for your responses-

RedClover

 

[scott]

Assuming that these experiences are somehow independent of the subject(s), perhaps the “entities” need that energy. Maybe they need that energy to continue to manifest themselves wherever they are.

The old saying "misery loves company" may offer an explanation. If, as Linda Zimmerman says, ghosts are stuck and generally unhappy, then if you were a ghost trapped with a happy family invading your home, this might really piss you off. You'd love to bring them down to size. Also, the adrenalin-firing panic reaction from the family might generate a kind of fuel for your wave length. Static electricity and goose bumps are not far apart. There's also the much-needed ego-boost. You've shown these saccharine newcomers who's the boss. You have no body, so you'd love a confirmation of your existence just to help sustain you on your nebulous, lost, and perhaps isolated frequency.

 

[CapnG]

Good vs Evil? What's with the softball topics, try something harder!

The hypocrasy of vegetarians is on full display in this episode. Eating plants requires killing them. Plants are alive. That's all there is to it. But nevermind us, think about herbavores or how predatory animals kill other animals and eat them. That is not evil, it's survival.

A protracted, unecessarily painful death for the sole purpose of sadistic pleasure, compounded by simply leaving the creature to rot is something I would consider "evil" because of the intent but the simple act of killing for food? No. Ya gotta eat.

 

[Brian Now]

Good vs Evil? What's with the softball topics, try something harder!

The hypocrasy of vegetarians is on full display in this episode. Eating plants requires killing them. Plants are alive. That's all there is to it. But nevermind us, think about herbavores or how predatory animals kill other animals and eat them. That is not evil, it's survival.

Yes! this is a good point for some of the vegans and vegetarians of the world who fly the banner of "no killing". But I think that generally their arguments are not all about just "killing" itself, it can also be about health, treatment of animals etc... But it is a good point to bring up that plants are life too.

But we might as well go one step further! How about our immune system senselessly slaughtering thousands of bacteria that enter our bodies every day! Isn't bacteria life too? Oh how the Lord must lament the massacre that must ensue around every cut or scratch we get.

By the way David, great point that maybe our bilateral symmetry might also make us think in terms of duality. Luckily, this is a default setting at most. We can overcome this way of thinking.

 

[David Biedny]

I realize that whenever I talk about religion on the show, or discuss it here on the forums, my words and manner of expression tend to be harsh. The truth is that my personal belief system does indeed include a universal mind, or soul, but not quite the God of organized religion. Pairing the words God and BS is perhaps a bit too harsh, I sometimes react that way to the manner in which so many people think they have an exclusive scoop on the true nature of the Universe.

I've created a new thread with a link to a Bill Moyers interview of E. O. Wilson, one of the greatest scientists and thinkers of our times. Everyone should check it out, it's inspiring and deeply engaging.

 

[auntiegrav]

I do not believe in the concepts of evil or good. I believe that any species will find a beneficial quality in the demise of another. It is sad and it is painful, but that seems to be the way things work. Bacteria love war, parasites love hosts and vegans love salads. The cost of life is death. However, while I am alive and enjoying all of the benefits of destruction, I still love trying to understand the world around me. Therefore, within the paranormal realm of inquiry it matters little what I think of good and evil. What does matter, is what those who have experienced paranormal episodes think of it.
RedClover

Asking about Good and Evil, first you have to ask:
What is the purpose of Life?
If Life's purpose is determined by what it actually does at a a fundamental level, then that purpose is to be a net creative force in the universe. All of the things we tell each other are Good (being 'nice', not destroying our planet, protecting each other, etc.) are things that, either locally or globally, enhance our ability to continue being Creators (God is the ultimate Net Creator image: creating everything from Nothing). Anything that detracts from our overall species' Net Creative potential would be Not Good. We each need to think about what we do personally, locally, nationally, and globally that creates more usefulness than we consume in resources.
Until we have some kind of Net usefulness to offer the universe, why would it let us off our little solar system? As long as we think competitively instead of cooperatively, we will eventually go extinct.
Competition has to be limited. That's why recreational games have rules. It isn't to protect those we are competing against, it is to teach us to control ourselves. That's what growing up is all about.

Unfortunately, children buy more booze, faster cars, and do more expensive dumb things than adults do, so keeping everyone childish is more profitable for our corporations, our health insurance industry, and our politicians who pretend to 'give' money away to 'save' us.

AG.