September 23, 2018
Dear Subscriber:
Each week we examine a theme from a variety of points of
view. The theme for this week is good and evil in honor of Yom Kippur, the
Jewish Day of Atonement, which begins on September 18.
A set of proverbs on good and evil:
PROVERBS ON GOOD AND EVIL
1. Good and evil are like unstable elements that bond
immediately to form a single molecule. A jolt of electricity, however, can
temporarily separate them again.
2. The innocent are guilty of not knowing they are guilty,
whereas the guilty are innocent of not knowing they are guilty.
3. The most common justification for evil is cynicism. The
second most common justification for evil is idealism. However, idealism tends
to justify the greater evil.
4. One often perceives someone as evil because one perceives
oneself as good. This error is the cause of a great deal of confusion and
suffering.
5. The reward for goodness is self-satisfaction, wherein
also lies great danger.
6. How, then, is one to know good from evil? That which
springs from love is good. That which springs from greed, lust, or hatred is
evil. That which is beautiful is good. That which is ugly is evil. That which
you yourself would want from another is good. That which you yourself would not
want from another is evil.
7. There are those who cast aside all restraints and are
willingly evil. There are those who live perpetually restrained and become
self-righteous. There are those who are aware of the evil in their hearts,
words, and acts, yet are able to love themselves and others.
8. Evil must sometimes be met with violence, but the only
antidote is love.
9. Thus to be good one must love those who are evil, among
whom one must include oneself. That is, to be good one must know one is evil,
both at war and at peace with oneself.
10. In the war between good and evil, the major battleground
is in the hearts of children, and the weapons are the lives of adults.
© by Nicholas Gordon
This week’s theme: Good and Evil
9/23: Proverbs on Good and Evil