Back in my HUMALIT class, we were asked by our professor about our definition of evil. And we also have to identify if the protagonist of the book that we have read could be considered evil. I had a hard time answering this question so I just answered it based on the norm of our society; of how we people define evil. In my opinion, I think evil is subjective and based on different ideas. Religion is one of the most dominant basis of evil in this world. Different religions or beliefs have different ideas of what is evil. So if we have different definitions for evil, can we then say that human beings are really evil based on different definitions?
In my opinion, I think it is in our human nature to be good and evil. Without evil we can’t really say that what we are doing, saying or thinking is good. We have to have the mix of the two for balance and for more in depth meaning of our lives. I will use the cliché nobody is perfect, so I believe anyone is capable of being evil and good at the same time. We have the decision to make good things or to do bad things. Nobody can be good for his entire life, he may have done something bad even once like lie or steal or disobey. I know these actions can’t be considered evil but they’re not also considered good actions. I also believe that anyone can’t be evil his entire life, because I’m a psychology major, I believe that there are certain factors in a person’s life that could drive him to do something evil. Not just because he is innately evil.
As I’ve said religion plays a big role in how we define evil, it can also be a factor in defining what is good. My religion dictates people to be good because it is what will make us go to heaven. It makes life less complicated I think would be the more appropriate definition. I think when you just go by the rules, you will avoid being in complicated situations and you will also live a normal life. So because of my religion, I am afraid to do bad things or disobey the rules that were given to us because I am afraid of going to hell. We try our best to avoid doing wicked things because we know that we will be punished by doing so. I guess people try to do good because we are afraid of being punished and being judged as bad. I also think because we have the idea of good and evil, we have our conscience in guiding us to any thing that we will do. We have this little voice in our head that always dictates us to stay away from doing evil. But because people are also given the option to choose between evil and good, some would not choose good over evil because of different reasons. There are some who are prevented to do good because of how they perceive good. I think good and evil is subjective, so there may be some who has this idea that what they are doing is still good but is actually not. There are some according to my professor who has the ability to do evil deeds because they have lost conscience. They have no sense of the difference between evil and good.
Others would even try to justify their actions by saying that as long as they have not hurt anyone, it is ok for them to continue doing the evil deed. But in my opinion, he may not be hurting others but he is actually hurting his own self. People would always give reasons and justify their actions. I think the only time the reasons and excuses of people would be accepted about doing evil or bad deeds is when people know how to come up with good reasons. I don’t want reasons like because they are ordered to do so or because they’re just human. I want reasons that are logical and valid given the situation. Like for example, Marcos had imposed martial law not because he is purely evil, but because he may want the country to be better. But if people would just kill or corrupt people for their own selfish reasons, I can never accept such atrocity.
I think evil and good is really a complicated matter because it has different implications and different definition. I actually think nobody can define evil and good in a general manner. Everyone has different opinions regarding this matter. And I also think that human nature is a hard topic to be discussed, nobody is really sure of the real and accurate matter that defines human nature. I know these matters are important so that we can make better sense of our lives. And also due to globalization, everybody should be knowledgeable about these matters because understanding it better can benefit us all.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
WHY DO SOME PEOPLE THINK THEY KNOW WHAT IS GOOD FOR OTHERS?
When I was still in elementary my parents would always be the one in controlling my every move. One time I finally decided to become more independent and do things my own way, it didn’t work out well because my parents keep on saying that they know what’s best for me. I didn’t actually get that statement of theirs because for me how could they know what’s best for me, they’re not me. They don’t know me the way I know myself, so it’s only logical to say that I know what’s best for me, right? But as I become older I finally know what they mean. I usually teach or preach to my little sister or my friends what they shouldn’t do and do because as someone who has experienced the things that they are going through, I think I know what’s good for them. I guess because of the knowledge that I have or know about certain situations, it serves as an edge for me to tell other people what is good for them.
This can also be said to most people, some people tend to intrude or impose their ideas because they think they have more understanding of the person’s situation than the person itself. In a global scale, some countries or organizations share their knowledge of certain ideas because they believe they have the responsibility to share their knowledge to others and improve others’ lives (Inayatullah, 2009). This situation has two reactions, if you are the contributor or the one who assisted, you think that it is because of our human nature to be responsible of others and help them make their lives better. But when you’re the one who is the recipient of the goodness, you will become apprehensive or guarded. Because of course, when someone tries to imply that we need help or we don’t know what’s good for ourselves, it could mean that we are not capable or we are not competent enough to handle the problem ourselves. We also don’t like to be dictated by others because we like to be the boss. We like being in control of our lives and when someone tries to control it for us, we react negatively.
The second reaction can be a problem especially for the people who really need it the most. Sometimes we have to accept the fact that every one of us is not knowledgeable about everything. There are some facts that we don’t know and we may need the assistance of others. I think this could be one factor why some people or country are living badly, it’s because they are not open about others’ help. We are also afraid because it may be possible that those that are helping us just want us to be enslaved by them. We should set aside this idea because it is also possible that the help they are offering are sincere and have no alternative reasons for doing so. We should also think of the equality everyone has in terms of giving and receiving, each and every one of us is vulnerable to being the giver and also the recipient of help.
I think it’s hard to be the recipient of such help especially if the one providing the service is known to be manipulative and conniving. It has been hard for some to trust the help of other people because nowadays, even if countries and people are being connected to each other, those that are superior are only using the inferior ones for their own advantage. Because in this modern time, competition and manipulation is visible and made use by many for gaining power and control.
This can also be said to most people, some people tend to intrude or impose their ideas because they think they have more understanding of the person’s situation than the person itself. In a global scale, some countries or organizations share their knowledge of certain ideas because they believe they have the responsibility to share their knowledge to others and improve others’ lives (Inayatullah, 2009). This situation has two reactions, if you are the contributor or the one who assisted, you think that it is because of our human nature to be responsible of others and help them make their lives better. But when you’re the one who is the recipient of the goodness, you will become apprehensive or guarded. Because of course, when someone tries to imply that we need help or we don’t know what’s good for ourselves, it could mean that we are not capable or we are not competent enough to handle the problem ourselves. We also don’t like to be dictated by others because we like to be the boss. We like being in control of our lives and when someone tries to control it for us, we react negatively.
The second reaction can be a problem especially for the people who really need it the most. Sometimes we have to accept the fact that every one of us is not knowledgeable about everything. There are some facts that we don’t know and we may need the assistance of others. I think this could be one factor why some people or country are living badly, it’s because they are not open about others’ help. We are also afraid because it may be possible that those that are helping us just want us to be enslaved by them. We should set aside this idea because it is also possible that the help they are offering are sincere and have no alternative reasons for doing so. We should also think of the equality everyone has in terms of giving and receiving, each and every one of us is vulnerable to being the giver and also the recipient of help.
I think it’s hard to be the recipient of such help especially if the one providing the service is known to be manipulative and conniving. It has been hard for some to trust the help of other people because nowadays, even if countries and people are being connected to each other, those that are superior are only using the inferior ones for their own advantage. Because in this modern time, competition and manipulation is visible and made use by many for gaining power and control.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE?
People are always searching for answers especially to the question of who we are. As a Psych Major, I’ve read and studied of different perspectives in how a person thinks of himself. How a person searches for his identity. How a person also lose his identity or even his sanity in looking for his identity. There would be many answers to the question in coming up with identifying identity, but I would try to base my answers on the facts about psychology that I have studied.
When I hear identity, the first thing that would come to my mind would be the personality of a person. But there are other way of defining identity, there is gender identity, social identity and identity politics. In gender identity, a person’s identity is based on his gender. For example, if you are born to be a female, certain traits that characterized as feminine should be expected from you. In social identity, a person’s way of defining his identity is based on how social aspects have shaped it such as class, race, religion and ethnicity. Identity politics is somewhat related to social identity because both deal with the society. Identity politics is inspired by the interests of, and intended to benefit, a particular group with a shared identity (Wibben, 2009). All of the identities mentioned, as you can observe deals with a person belonging to a group like a group of women or men, a person’s race, ethnicity, religion or people with similar ideas. Human beings are classified as social beings, we like being in group, we want to be identified with others. So it may seem that we also define our identity based on a group that we are in. In the world of globalization, it is important to be aware of our identity to help us mark our own sense of belonging and be able to identify with other people. It also prevents us from being confused of ideas that could be the cause of development as a person. We become more stable and productive if we have a sense of identity in this big world.
But we must also keep in mind that our identity is not solely based on a group. It doesn’t mean that belonging to a group is the only way to have an identity, other factors like our own conception of ourselves is also important. Sometimes belonging in a group can also limit us in further exploring our potentials. I think it is okay to be in a group but sometimes it is better to figure out ourselves first.
But I also think that being in a group nowadays is given importance because of globalization. Everyone is linked in some way for a purpose. For example, in Facebook there will be fan pages about certain topics and in this fan page, you will see different people becoming a fan of this fan page because of same ideas. Just by looking at the fan pages people have joined you can come up with conclusions of the kind of personality the person has. In the modern world, it is now easy to voice out your own ideas and belongs to a group in just one click. That’s why some people would base their identity on a certain group because it may be one of the easiest ways in identifying your self.
People have different ways of finding their identities and figuring out their lives. But at the end, people will still find their identity and figure out how they should live their lives. We just have to remember to never lose track of who we really are and not what others or the society dictates us to be.
When I hear identity, the first thing that would come to my mind would be the personality of a person. But there are other way of defining identity, there is gender identity, social identity and identity politics. In gender identity, a person’s identity is based on his gender. For example, if you are born to be a female, certain traits that characterized as feminine should be expected from you. In social identity, a person’s way of defining his identity is based on how social aspects have shaped it such as class, race, religion and ethnicity. Identity politics is somewhat related to social identity because both deal with the society. Identity politics is inspired by the interests of, and intended to benefit, a particular group with a shared identity (Wibben, 2009). All of the identities mentioned, as you can observe deals with a person belonging to a group like a group of women or men, a person’s race, ethnicity, religion or people with similar ideas. Human beings are classified as social beings, we like being in group, we want to be identified with others. So it may seem that we also define our identity based on a group that we are in. In the world of globalization, it is important to be aware of our identity to help us mark our own sense of belonging and be able to identify with other people. It also prevents us from being confused of ideas that could be the cause of development as a person. We become more stable and productive if we have a sense of identity in this big world.
But we must also keep in mind that our identity is not solely based on a group. It doesn’t mean that belonging to a group is the only way to have an identity, other factors like our own conception of ourselves is also important. Sometimes belonging in a group can also limit us in further exploring our potentials. I think it is okay to be in a group but sometimes it is better to figure out ourselves first.
But I also think that being in a group nowadays is given importance because of globalization. Everyone is linked in some way for a purpose. For example, in Facebook there will be fan pages about certain topics and in this fan page, you will see different people becoming a fan of this fan page because of same ideas. Just by looking at the fan pages people have joined you can come up with conclusions of the kind of personality the person has. In the modern world, it is now easy to voice out your own ideas and belongs to a group in just one click. That’s why some people would base their identity on a certain group because it may be one of the easiest ways in identifying your self.
People have different ways of finding their identities and figuring out their lives. But at the end, people will still find their identity and figure out how they should live their lives. We just have to remember to never lose track of who we really are and not what others or the society dictates us to be.
WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE BETTER OFF THAN OTHERS?
I study in one of the most prestigious school in the Philippines. Inside the school premises, you will see people who belongs to the higher class of the society but when you go outside, you will see old woman begging for money, you will see children begging for left overs, looking at these two different people, inequality in our community is really visible. We’ve tackled about poverty now we will tackle about people who are better off than others.
Generally, countries all over the world can be classified by their differences especially according to how rich a country is or how underdeveloped a country is. There may be countries that are known to be richer than some. In the past, some of these countries are just developing or they are known to be the less fortunate countries. But as time changes, many countries have become developed, some have even progressed better than those that were once the richer ones. However, even if some have become a rich country or have remained to be one, the majority of the population of the world is still experiencing hardships and less development.
If you will try to study or read facts about these certain countries, you will see many differences that may serve as a factor why some are richer compared to other countries. Even in the past, inequality is already a feature of a civilization. If you read history books, you will see that in some civilizations there will be a system of division among groups of people. There will be those that are rich and powerful while the other half or the bigger half actually would be poor and slaves. According to Paul Cammack (2009), this inequality has been reshaped due to three changes globally; first would be the reversal of the significant post-Second World War shift towards greater equality in the advanced industrial economies; second is the creation of a genuinely global capitalist economy and the re-establishment of market economies in the former Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe after 1989; and lastly, the concurrent promotion by leading governments and international institutions of greater openness and competitiveness in the emerging global capitalist economy. Looking at this perspective you will see that money or the economy is really the main factor of inequality globally. Those countries that are more competitive and inspired for development would more or less be richer than other countries. So looking closely at this factor, you can say that it is within our hands or in power to make inequality be less visible in this world. I mean, I guess it’s really part of our nature that there would be winners while some would be losers but it is still up to us to change it. If you would observe the rich countries and those countries that have developed over the course of time, you will see that they have made innovations and techniques to help their country get better. The leaders or the people in that country are a big factor for changes and development within one country but it can also be the downfall of another one. I think rich countries are better than others because they know how to make use of their own resources. They also use the power that they have to control or take advantage of the resources of other countries to gain more power and money.
Another factor would be the policy or way of thinking people have within the country that promotes inequality. My sister told me once that in China, there are no rich or poor, everyone are classified as middle class that’s why some Chinese people live their country to become richer. I think if people are ordered to maintain their wealth in the same manner as everyone else’s, there would be less inequality because everyone would be treated the same and everyone would live the same way. In terms of ideas, from what I’ve read I think countries that are rich are rich because they know how to handle situations or grab opportunities to make them rich unlike other countries who are passive and would be less innovative in coming up with solutions for progress.
I also think that inequality is visible because people are used to the idea of inequality. Some people would use those that are inferior to them to gain more of what they already have. It’s a sad thought actually because instead of putting a stop to inequality there are some that would choose to live a better life instead of helping others to also live a better life.
I guess inequality as I’ve said is really a part of our way of living because if you would think about it, inequality defines us. It’s what drives us to live and survive. If people are just complacent with everyone being the same, we can also lose our identity and worth. I don’t promote inequality to be accepted widely by everyone, but for me I just want to accept the fact that it’s inevitable to dismiss this idea in our lives. But if given a chance, it would be more satisfying if, globally people would be living equally and comfortably.
Generally, countries all over the world can be classified by their differences especially according to how rich a country is or how underdeveloped a country is. There may be countries that are known to be richer than some. In the past, some of these countries are just developing or they are known to be the less fortunate countries. But as time changes, many countries have become developed, some have even progressed better than those that were once the richer ones. However, even if some have become a rich country or have remained to be one, the majority of the population of the world is still experiencing hardships and less development.
If you will try to study or read facts about these certain countries, you will see many differences that may serve as a factor why some are richer compared to other countries. Even in the past, inequality is already a feature of a civilization. If you read history books, you will see that in some civilizations there will be a system of division among groups of people. There will be those that are rich and powerful while the other half or the bigger half actually would be poor and slaves. According to Paul Cammack (2009), this inequality has been reshaped due to three changes globally; first would be the reversal of the significant post-Second World War shift towards greater equality in the advanced industrial economies; second is the creation of a genuinely global capitalist economy and the re-establishment of market economies in the former Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe after 1989; and lastly, the concurrent promotion by leading governments and international institutions of greater openness and competitiveness in the emerging global capitalist economy. Looking at this perspective you will see that money or the economy is really the main factor of inequality globally. Those countries that are more competitive and inspired for development would more or less be richer than other countries. So looking closely at this factor, you can say that it is within our hands or in power to make inequality be less visible in this world. I mean, I guess it’s really part of our nature that there would be winners while some would be losers but it is still up to us to change it. If you would observe the rich countries and those countries that have developed over the course of time, you will see that they have made innovations and techniques to help their country get better. The leaders or the people in that country are a big factor for changes and development within one country but it can also be the downfall of another one. I think rich countries are better than others because they know how to make use of their own resources. They also use the power that they have to control or take advantage of the resources of other countries to gain more power and money.
Another factor would be the policy or way of thinking people have within the country that promotes inequality. My sister told me once that in China, there are no rich or poor, everyone are classified as middle class that’s why some Chinese people live their country to become richer. I think if people are ordered to maintain their wealth in the same manner as everyone else’s, there would be less inequality because everyone would be treated the same and everyone would live the same way. In terms of ideas, from what I’ve read I think countries that are rich are rich because they know how to handle situations or grab opportunities to make them rich unlike other countries who are passive and would be less innovative in coming up with solutions for progress.
I also think that inequality is visible because people are used to the idea of inequality. Some people would use those that are inferior to them to gain more of what they already have. It’s a sad thought actually because instead of putting a stop to inequality there are some that would choose to live a better life instead of helping others to also live a better life.
I guess inequality as I’ve said is really a part of our way of living because if you would think about it, inequality defines us. It’s what drives us to live and survive. If people are just complacent with everyone being the same, we can also lose our identity and worth. I don’t promote inequality to be accepted widely by everyone, but for me I just want to accept the fact that it’s inevitable to dismiss this idea in our lives. But if given a chance, it would be more satisfying if, globally people would be living equally and comfortably.
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