Question: Are We Good Or Bad? The Answer Could Change Your Life

Question: Are We Good Or Bad? The Answer Could Change Your Life

By TLB Contributing Author: Lucille Femine

Have you ever seriously asked yourself this question? Well, maybe you’re too busy to be concerned or it doesn’t seem relevant to life but, honestly, it’s worth looking at. It could change one’s entire direction.

Many of us have been brought up to believe we are basically bad and that’s why we are suffering so much and being “punished” for all our devious crimes – for which we don’t have much of a clue. What I mean is the extremely destructive aspect is that the datum presented which says we are all “bad” is vague and generalized, enough to drown you in hopelessness. As a result, do we spend our lives struggling to be “good” and cringe at every little infraction – which just become more proof that we are really bad? It’s like somebody up there says – “See, I told ya.”

Good or Bad 02Some say “why bother?” They go ahead and make a profession of being bad because that’s who they “really” are – many aided by numerous whippings when they were young, administered by a red-faced dad screaming how bad and evil their offspring is.

So you see, even with this programmed, defeatist mentality, we are still exercising our freedom of choice…to some degree. Or at least we try – because we DO have freedom of choice. If we choose to be bad, we’d have to admit we did it ourselves and eat crow – to keep our head on straight. Nevertheless, self-determinism is part of our basic nature and our right. The Constitution is a political reflection of that truth.

In either case, though apparently self-determined, we are actually following a false idea of ourselves and go off the rails, abandoning the road we really wanted to travel. We get too busy “proving” we are either good or bad. What a waste of time! Don’t we have better things to do?

Consider this:

If we are programmed in various ways to believe we are evil and if we accept it, how would that affect our natural, inborn, innate impulses? I mean, would we stop ourselves from acting or doing what we feel or want to do because we might do something bad? Because that’s who we really are? So we’d better be careful? Let’s not express ourselves too much or we might hurt someone. Let’s not experience joy or love or giving because it’s not real, you see. It’s just something we use to hide our badness.

Consider this also:

How about all the police and firemen who risk their lives to save others? Or doctors who work through the night to save their patients? Soldiers who go to war knowing they might die because they want to help save their country? Protesters risking jail and huge fines to shout what they believe is unjust? Mothers who sacrifice time and pleasures (like sleep) so they can raise happy children? I doubt you will think they were all suffering from some delusion of being good or trying to hide badness. They simply act from an inner knowing of what is right.

Do you think we would have a world at all if people weren’t innately good and truly inspired to help? If this were not so, this planet would have been a smoldering pile of ash a long time ago.

Now, religion is a powerful and necessary force on this planet. It can save the world all by itself. Witness Buddhism which civilized three quarters of the Asian civilization. But I’m talking about just one aspect of certain religions – the viewpoint presented concerning our basic, underlying nature. You might get the image of the preacher, taking quotes out of context from the Bible as he pounds his fist on the pulpit, damning his flock all to hell if they won’t be good. Or in some shady houses of worship, because they didn’t put enough money in the basket.

One good example is Al Gore and friends blaming us for global warming. And of course we will have to pay for our “sins” with a carbon tax. All I can say about that is – thank God for the sub-normal temperatures hitting us these days! NOW whose face is red?

A broader example is the “power” the government and elitists think they have by trying to force us to believe we are “bad” if we don’t shut up and do what they say. If we sin and don’t shut up, “God” punishes us with his FEMA camps and drugs. You see, it’s all the same mechanism – conquer in the name of some dubious religion, this one called Socialism.

All this talk about goodness and badness and the idea we need to dump the ingrained notion that we are naturally bad – we should if we want to live – does not supersede or invalidate a moral code, whichever one you choose to follow. These codes of conduct, the good and sane ones, do not presuppose you are bad. They merely present a guide of behavior which results in survival and happiness. (See link below for one example of a non-denominational code of ethics.)

In times like these, we need to look more closely at that inner knowledge and true experience of rightness that comes from alert observation, not from some artificial impulse to be “good.” We already are. And we naturally want to help.

Related:

The Way to Happiness

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TLB Note: Lucille is a longtime friend and contributor to TLB. She is also an author, writer, researcher, podcast show host, activist, and an exceptional artist to boot! To enjoy more of Lucille’s wisdom, research and presentation … CLICK HERE

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