Every coin has two sides, a head, and a tail. Similarly, good and evil are two sides of a coin, good cannot exist without evil. The fight between good and evil conveys a very meaningful message ‘For good to triumph over evil, good must fight or else all is lost.
The tale of our history has many similar stories. Each of them emphasises that our world is full of dualities, of good and evil and if the world exists, these dualities will continue to exist.
Even within us, duality exists. I look within myself to acknowledge both aspects of my nature – good and bad and then strive to become a better human being. I need to find my inner strength, so, the evil that resides in the world and within me does not sway me onto crooked paths to achieve my goals.
We bought a house many years ago and the sellers insisted that we pay several small fees that are customarily covered by the seller. The total was £200 and in comparison, to the house price, I was not going to walk away from something so small.
We renovated the house and there was a table thing that had been built into the entryway. After the demo, I was planning on throwing it out. When one of the neighbours noticed we had put it outside to be thrown out, they texted the old owners to see if they wanted it as it was something they said they had loved about the house.
The old owners text me, saying since we were getting rid of it anyway, surely, we would not mind if they came by and picked it up instead. I told them that, interestingly, we had recently gotten an offer from someone else to buy it… for £200. Since it was theirs originally, I told them we would be happy to part with it… for £201. They transferred the money and picked it up a week later.
Every day I feed my mind with food, images, ideas, words, feelings, conversations, and advertisements from all types of sources. Sounds, and noises which are loud, soft, pleasing jarring, I feed my mind with unintentional things which I allow in, and they change me in ways that shape my life, and I am not aware of it.
My resilience is often tested when life circumstances change unexpectedly and for the worse, such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship. Such challenges, however, present the opportunity to rise above and come back even stronger than I was before.
An old Cherokee chief sat down to teach his grandson about life. There is a fight going on inside me, he tells the young boy, a fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil. It is full of malice, anger, greed, self-pity, and false pride.
The other is good. It is full of peace, love, joy, kindness, and humility. This same fight is going on inside you and everyone else on the face of the earth. The grandson was quiet, pondering this revelation for a moment before asking, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?” The old man smiled and replied, “The one you feed.”
Good and evil are two common dichotomies. Wicked, immoral, or sinful behaviour is evil while selfless, gentle, and compassionate behaviour is good. However, the difference between good and evil is often based on one’s perception and judgment.
Good and evil exist within each of us. It is our responsibility to own that reality and do whatever we can to nurture the good.