Anime Lessons

There is both good and evil in the world. Assume evil is defined as anything that causes something or someone harm or suffering, directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally. Assume goodness is the opposite of evil: goodness is anything intentional or unintentional that creates pleasure or benefit to something or someone, directly or indirectly.

What is the mindset and perspective that one should take in life? Is there a universal truth and set of beliefs that everyone should adhere to? Or are the diverse thoughts, opinions, and perspectives on life that different people carry justified?

There are some agreeable truths:

• There is both good and evil that exist in the world. Good things create pleasure and benefits, while Evil things create pain and suffering.
• Without good, there can be no evil. And without evil, there can be no good. Both must co-exist by definition.
• Goodness and Evil both exist inherently in the world and universe. The fundamental concepts of “good” and “evil” were not created by man, but rather have always existed in this universe. Were they created by God? Or were they just a consequence of God’s intentional creations? Good and evil have been present since the dawn of time, and were created alongside the physics and rules governing the functioning of this reality, universe, and existence. However, examples of things that are “good” and “evil” have come to be created incrementally by man. For example, helping others in need through charity is an example of “goodness” created by man. Murders and war are examples of “evil” and bad things also created by man.
• All humans will inevitably experience pain and suffering in their life, in some way, shape, or form.
• Different people experience different amounts and magnitudes of evil, pain, and suffering. Some experience more than others. Some experience it more frequently.
• Very few people live to experience a greater magnitude of pleasure and good than suffering and evil. Most people experience far greater magnitude of suffering and evil throughout their lives.
• Humans tend to be impacted by evil more than good. Humans are biased to remember bad and evil things and experiences more strongly than they remember good and joyful things. For example, humans are psychologically wired to recall bad memories and negative experiences more vividly than positive memories and experiences.
• The magnitude of pain and suffering that humans experience in their life tend to outweigh the magnitude of pleasure and joy they experience.
• There is much greater evil that exists than there does good in the present world. Man tends to cover up evil, while revealing only good. Severe examples of evil commonly go unseen and are intentionally covered up by man to the greatest extent possible. The reality of the present world is that the true amount of evil that occurs and exists is far greater than the amount of goodness that occurs and exists.

There is one self-evident truth: The magnitude of all evil is greater than the magnitude of all good in this world.

The apparent truth is that there exists far worse instances of evil than instances of good, and the magnitude of evil in those evil instances is significantly greater than the magnitude of good in those good instances.

Why is this? Logically, a natural creator, or God, of the universe, who designed the universe with such symmetrical beauty, should create a world of neutrality and balance between good and evil. Why did he create a world with a greater magnitude of evil than good? Is a world with greater evil than good worth living for? Why or why not? Why did God make evil so much more intolerable than good for humans? Was the concept of “suffering” created first, with “evil” as a cause, or was the concept of “evil” created first, with “suffering” as a consequence?

Did God intentionally and purposefully formulate the concepts of “good”/“pleasure” and “evil”/“suffering”, or were they side effects and consequences of the natural laws and physics governing the operations of this universe?

Why are humans disproportionately affected by negative experiences and evil more than positive experiences and good? Could it be the case that God intentionally created a world with greater evil and suffering? Is it the case that humans were purposely brought into this world for suffering? Is being born to this world, itself, a punishment for something?

Why does God give and why does God take? Giving then Taking feels significantly worse than Taking then Giving.

Only a small percentage of people in existence can truly claim they’ve lived a life of greater joy and pleasure than pain and suffering. The vast majority of people that have existed lived lives with greater suffering and pain. This has led to the creation of “Stoicism”, the practice of accepting pain and suffering despite its unpleasantness. Truth be told, no person deliberately wants to experience evil and suffering. All humans seek to benefit themselves and experience pleasure and good.

Why do humans live disproportionate lives? Why are some peoples’ lives consistently and aggregatively better than other peoples’ lives? And why are only a small number of people born into good lives while most other people are born into lives of greater suffering and pain? For example, a select few are born into wealthy and powerful families. A select few find incredible success in business and finance, not only due to hard work, but also due to luck and fortune. Most people that have existed are not born into wealthy families - in fact, most into poverty - and most people that have existed and have worked extremely hard have not found success in business and finance. Success and fortune lead to good things. However, success and good things often, but not always, come at the expense of the failure of others. Furthermore, success is sometimes achieved through evil and the causing of suffering to others. Why did God create a system where so many people are born into a life with greater suffering, and only a select few into a life of pleasure? Is attaining a life of happiness, success, and pleasure a result of random chance, or fate? Are some select people fated to succeed and experience great lives, while most other people are fated to experience suffering in their lives? Is it possible to truly be able to control the direction and results of our lives?

All the previous questions may never be possible to answer with man’s limited intelligence and capacity. However, all the questions ultimate lead to one single question: How should one live life, and what perspective should they take throughout life? One should always remember the objective truth and carry it with them, that evil exists and its magnitude is far greater than the good that exists. However, focusing too heavily on the evil in the world inhibits one from enjoying and savoring the goodness of it.

• To each their own. It is for each individual to decide whether a life in a world with greater evil and suffering than good and pleasure is worth living in. It is for the individual to decide whether to accept the truth that they will inevitably and absolutely encounter evil and suffering in their lifetime, and that that evil will often outweigh the good they have experienced and come to know.
• It is each individual’s decision whether or not they are willing to tolerate and bear the suffering that is to come in their life, in exchange for the opportunity to experience some of the good and pleasure of this world.

My perspective is to spend more time and energy of your life in admiring the beauty of the world. Find something, anything, that makes you want to continue living, whether it be tasty food, friendships, love, material things, etc. Then focus more of your attention to these things that make you feel joy and happiness, so that when you inevitably encounter suffering and evil, you will remember the things that bring you joy and happiness, and have the will and determination to continue living so that you may experience those things that bring you joy and happiness again. The world has plentiful of pleasureful and joyful experiences and things. When you inevitably encounter suffering and evil, reflect upon these facts and learn to accept it for what it is. Learn to embrace the pain and suffering as just a consequence of living in this world and having the opportunity to experience good and pleasure.