Siriwat Tumthong (Steve)

1204
Good and Bad

The term good and bad are presented throughout many literatures. The
Pearl, by John Steinbeck, said in the epilogue of the story that tales contain only
good and bad things and black and white things and good and evil things and no inbetween anywhere. The problem with that is the confusion it may give out to the
children, making them starts dividing people only into good and bad. When in reality,
there are nothings that are in those two absolute. In this world, there is nothing that is
absolutely bad and nothing that is absolutely good. Most of them are just somewhere
between that line. This led to the conclusion that things shouldnt be divided into
good or bad because the definition of good and bad are not even clear, and this kind of
teaching will only result in the lack of the ability to see from others perspective.
To start things off, the term good itself needs to be defined. However, the
definition of good can varies from the different culture each individual embrace.
Thus, this essay will only discuss the term good as something that is that which is
morally right; righteousness. This definition in itself is already vague on its own.
How can there be term good when human, a being that is imperfect, created the ideas
of morality. The term Morality is from the Latin Moralitas, which means manners,
character, and proper behavior. This meant that Morality could change from place to
place because different cultures define the word manner differently. Something thats
polite in some place might be the most impolite thing to do in the other place. [1]
The definitions of Bad, too, are not properly defined. It couldnt have been
defined properly when its counterpart, the good are not properly defined.
Throughout this paper, the term bad will be defined as evil or morally unacceptable,
according to the definition from Cambridge Dictionary. As mentioned before, the
definition given is too vague. Looking at the definition of the word bad, one may

Siriwat Tumthong (Steve)

1204

argue the morality differs throughout the culture. Thus giving an alternative answer to
the question of whether something is morally acceptable or not. This will then led
to confusion between people of different culture on whether what is acceptable.
The term good and bad has become a problem for human since the day it has
been invented. The mentioned term created much confusion in the society. Many
novels divided the character in the story as the good and the bad. The problem with
this is that the term good and bad doesnt have a proper definition and things that
were bad could be good if seen from the other perspective or circumstances. One of
the biggest lies in human history would be that killing is not right in anyway possible.
However, when wartime begins, killing is suddenly justified and praised for. The
more enemy you kill, the more respectable and heroic you become. We human, fail
to realize that the so called enemy, seen from another perspective, also consider
themselves to be good and also believe that what they are doing is right.
Terry Goodkind once discuss on this topic, he said There is no such thing as
pure good or pure evil, least of all in people. In the best of us there are thoughts or
deeds that are wicked, and in the worst of us, at least some virtue. An adversary is not
one who does loathsome acts for their own sake. He always has a reason that to him is
justification. My cat eats mice. Does that make him bad? I don't think so, and the cat
doesn't think so, but I would bet the mice have a different opinion.[2] This quote
perfectly summarizes what this essay is trying to say. There is nothing that is
completely good or bad, things that are good can be bad when seen from another
perspective. Just like the cat in the quote mentioned above.
To sum this up, there is nothing that is solely good or bad in this world. While
Steinbeck mentioned that things could only be good and evil and no in-between, in
reality its totally the opposite. Everything is this word belong in some shades of grey.

Siriwat Tumthong (Steve)

1204

Things can either be good or bad depending on how you view it. This is why the term
good and bad shouldnt be force into someone. People should watch things from
different point of view so that they understand more about others. The lack of
understanding would only lead to more hatred and problems for mankind. When you
understand someone, you live with peace and love. Just like one of the quote from
Martin Luther King Jr., Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.[3]

Siriwat Tumthong (Steve)

1204
References

1. Russell, B. (n.d.). The Elements of Ethics. Retrieved November 24, 2016,

from http://fair-use.org/bertrand-russell/the-elements-of-ethics/section-ii
2. Goodkind, T. (n.d.). A quote from Wizard's First Rule. Retrieved November
17, 2016, from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/271134-there-is-no-suchthing-as-pure-good-or-pure
3. Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2016, from
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth101472.html