"Good" and "Evil"

There is a metaphor, used by poets, writers, and movie-makers, that illustrates a turning point in a person's life: "The Fork in the Road."  The Fork is when a person faces a decision; a turning point, which can be literal, figurative, or both. 

This can be the "rock bottom" that some people face and either deal with or to which they become lost.  It can be any decision that causes a person to take action in a way that harms or helps themselves or other people.  It is when a person, not only chooses to be "good" or "evil," but allows that choice to influence how he or she treats their environment. This includes platonic and romantic relationships, social activities, and even how lesser life forms, such as wild and domestic animals, are either mistreated or accommodated.

I think that the choice to be good or evil is not guided by supernatural influences, such as God or the Devil.  It is guided by an individual's upbringing, mental and physical health, and life experience.  This idea doesn't mean that the choice to commit an act of good or evil can only be made by a person who is of a certain age.  The choice can be faced at any age, which creates consequences that range from minor to catastrophic.

Examine your own life.  Was there ever a time that you "crossed a line" or went "above and beyond?"  Did you ever cause harm to another person when that harm was not warranted?  Did you ever suffer ridicule for providing help or comfort to another person, just because they were "different?"  THAT was a fork in the road of your life.

The forks are the decisions by which we embrace either good or evil and decide to cause help or harm throughout our lives.  The more a person chooses one particular path, the more he or she will tend to choose that same path in his or her the future.  Each path has its own reward.  The allure of the reward is what influences a person's choice.  Rewards, whether positive or negative, appeal to each of us in different ways.  The fact, that the appeal exists, cannot be denied.

Post an event from your life, that embraces the "good" or "evil" in humanity.  Maybe some events have stuck in your mind or have had an influence upon your personality.  Be honest about how some negative or positive event has influenced the "good" or "evil" in your life.  Describe the emotions, actions, and thoughts that you experience as a result of the influence these events have upon your everyday life.

Be cool to one another.

-Dave