THE DYNAMICS OF GOOD AND BAD #SuperBloggers by @richardchilee

 

                               THE DYNAMICS OF GOOD AND BAD

                                                                                   

                                                                                                   

I have always been fascinated by all kinds of rules governing human behaviour but have decided to concentrate on the dynamics of good and bad. These concepts have since affected man from cradle, yet the answers seem elusive. The more man searches for the answers to these concepts, the more they elude him, like the horizon – an imaginary line that recedes you whenever you try to reach it.

While these concepts of good and bad seem elusive and ambiguous, one thing is certain; they largely depend on your perception as an individual. What is good for you may completely beabhorred by some other person and what is bad to you may completely be accepted by another individual irrespective of the stipulated standards of good and bad laid down by the society.    

The society creates laws which must be followed and obeyed by its member, anyone who goes contrary or fails to obey these laws is regarded as a non-conformist, a criminal and is required to face the wrath of the law by being incarcerated or punished by payment of fines.

Now, when a person is accused, tried and found guilty of, say, Corruption, he is expected to face the punishment which should serve as a deterrent to others who wish to partake in similar incident. This accused person is seen as a bad person by the general public, he is scorned by all but his close family and friends. These people may have in one way or the other benefitted from the loot of this “corrupt” individual, to them he is an angel, a good and providing parent to his family; a saviour, a good ally to his friends. What then do we say? There is now a tussle between good and bad between the friend, family and the general public.

Similarly, when a thief is arrested, condemned and sentenced because he a menace to the society, the people become happy, justice has prevailed. But do the family and friends of the criminal share the same opinion with the society? If he is our close friend or part of family, we become blinded by our emotion, we shut our eyes to the dangers this person can be to the society or how his act can negatively affect the lives of others, the police is no longer our friend. This happens because, as humans we are all affected by a string of mutual self interest, we try to look for every avenue to scramble for our own gain, we always try to push our own agendas not minding if we are stepping on others toes. We are always clouded by self aggrandizement; whatever we do to promote our own cause is good.

When next you see or hear that a person is condemned because of an act which is regarded as bad, do not be fast to criticize. This is not an excuse for some people’s extreme case of recidivism though. Instead take your time and get into the persons mind, try to see what the person sees and feel what the person feels. Think if this person is your friend or family – a condition which is known as mental transvestism. When this is done, it gives you a clearerperspective, it shapes your way of thinking, you are now in a position to judge if the act is good or bad. In the face of reality, a person can choose to go in either direction– to condemn or to defend, based on the proximity to the accused individual.  

By @richardchilee Richard Chilee