WHAT MAKES THE WORLD DANGEROUS?

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.