sluice wrote:
I was always wanted to be pure, unaldulterated evil to experience what that felt like. Good and bad are relative terms, most suicide bombers likely consider themselves to be good for giving their all to their cause. The victim's family I am certain don't. I aim to be courageous and sincere.
there are some sentiments in here that i consider to be quite beautiful.
lotusblossom wrote:
I think Im a mixture of good and bad qualities and I think everyone else is a mixture aswell. I think its unhelpful to devide people into good and bad as its labelling and dehumanising. I think we should recognise the complexity of people and their motivations and drives and not box people into categories of 'other' which is what I think calling someone a 'bad person' does.
I think good vs bad probably has it roots in abrahamic religions, but I prefer the eastern philosophy where everyone has a 'buddha' light within them even murderers and can 'water' the seeds of positivity or negativity equally in anyone. So for example if you watch and eat bad things you will bring out more of your bad qualities and if you eat good and have good experience it will bring out more of your positive qualities. We all have the same potential and same value we just alter what we are displaying to the outside world by the actions we do to ourselves which leads to what we do to others. I think the story of Angulimala excemplifies this as he went from being a mass murderer to being one of the best bodhisattvas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angulimalaand some amazing thoughts in here as well.
FunnyFaceKing wrote:
I thought this was going to be a Way of the Master thread, but I was wrong.
Everyone has lied, cheated, stolen, had lust in their heart and been angry enough to murder. No one is good. Everyone will go to hell, unless they ask Jesus for forgiveness. That's the gist of the Way of the Master. they always start out their witnessing with the question: "do you think you are a good person?" Google it for more info. I'm new, so I 'm still not allowed to post links.
and this is quite interesting, too.
for
me, i don't really know what being a good person *is* in any real sense, so i really admire other people's ability to verbalize their own beliefs. i don't have a solid belief system or morality so being "good" is sort of irrelevant. i do try to behave ethically and responsibly.
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