tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post6364981869777367366..comments2024-03-22T12:11:58.453-06:00Comments on Michael Offutt: There are many days when I wish the trope of good versus evil was a real thing.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-49706204243613502512017-06-18T22:52:14.308-06:002017-06-18T22:52:14.308-06:00Sorry, Mike, but I do believe that both true goodn...Sorry, Mike, but I do believe that both true goodness and absolute evil exist and that people have the free will to choose between them. This is one reason why Nazis are always popping up in stories as the evil ones, and now Isis and others are doing the same--because they are unquestionably evil. <br /><br />I understand why your friends are going through a crisis. The older I get, the more I need meaning and purpose in my life, and I already know that the pursuit of the almighty dollar, so glorified in our American society, isn't a good reason to stay alive.Helenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14967821142796562697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-60349328093616819932017-06-14T10:43:21.286-06:002017-06-14T10:43:21.286-06:00Ah, the old mid-life existential crisis. What does...Ah, the old mid-life existential crisis. What does it all mean? Why are we here? Is this all there is? What is the purpose of my life? <br /><br />The answers (and there are answers) are as varied as the various lives that are lived. Some find it in having a family. Some find it in a fulfilling career. Others look to religion or spirituality. And others seek it through hobbies or artistic endeavors. There is no "right" answer. <br /><br />But as for good and evil, yes, I believe we have them in this world. It's just that "evil" doesn't know it's evil. Evil believes it is good. Evil is more concerned with power, thinking gaining power is the most important thing. Accumulating wealth. And it doesn't matter to them whether or not another person suffers while they are getting what they want. (At least, that's what I believe to be true.) <br /><br />I'll leave this there for now.Liz A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16531953467834426316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-89775588600301752772017-06-14T10:37:44.435-06:002017-06-14T10:37:44.435-06:00Though I get what you're trying to say and can...Though I get what you're trying to say and can agree with the motivation, I don't think it's correct. Sure, most people operate between the extremes, but I think it's pretty clear that we do have people who operate much closer to the edges than most people, and most of those people are skirting the evil edge. I don't think you're going to find any amount of Trump that is not self-focused; there's no altruism in him or any focus on humanity at large; everything is about him and him alone, and that is an evil stance. At best, he's a parasitic entity. At BEST.<br />And on the other side, you have someone like Pope Francis who seems to never think of himself before others.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-43154004611319785952017-06-14T08:52:41.514-06:002017-06-14T08:52:41.514-06:00I don't believe in "good" and "...I don't believe in "good" and "evil" in the Platonic sense. I think we make our own good and evil, our own heaven and hell, here on earth.stephen Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17659054447637207734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-46446215358847619602017-06-14T05:46:20.960-06:002017-06-14T05:46:20.960-06:00I see good and evil existing quite clearly in toda...I see good and evil existing quite clearly in today's society. The current stances of the Republican party are as close to evil as one can realistically get, and all those despairing people you mentioned--that isn't an accident. This loss of direction in life is caused directly by actions taken over the past forty years to destroy upward mobility, and in fact to make it regress. So many people are losing higher paying jobs and being forced to take lower paying ones. Wealth accumulation at the very top is destroying our lower classes. None of this is happening accidentally. Ted Crosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09022309459554237650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-38887330944589884032017-06-14T05:41:24.768-06:002017-06-14T05:41:24.768-06:00And then sometimes people vote for pure evil.And then sometimes people vote for pure evil.PT Dillowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-64953226419029476672017-06-14T03:46:38.910-06:002017-06-14T03:46:38.910-06:00So much I could say. But pure good and evil do exi...So much I could say. But pure good and evil do exist. Those people in despair are searching for something. If only they knew what it was. I'm glad I found it.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.com