Good V Evil
I remember I was talking to someone about MGK one night and I had said “I don’t know much about him but I haven’t heard much good. Is he like a, like a bad dude or something?” And the reply I got was “Is anyone really good?” And then he walked in his house. I had to look around because I felt like there were hidden cameras. I’m not gonna lie. That reply actually pissed me off- BUT it wasn’t because of the ambiguity of the answer (Nah because people who answer questions with a question make me so angry). I just like everything explained to me in depth so frankly I was unsatisfied, which lead me to ponder this myself. I wanted more. I felt like there was more.
Hmmm. What even is good or bad?
This wasn’t the first time I’d wondered about good or bad. Honestly I’d never been too scared of the dark. Only my own. But I struggled with this concept because the easy part was acknowledging the nuances of humans regardless of the environment, build, or ethnic background. I understood that people are more than their three dimensional existence- but this didn’t stop me from having to eventually force myself away from relationships. It always took me longer than it needed to because of this. I saw the dark and it didn’t matter to me because the light was still present, even if it was all the way at the end of the tunnel. Understanding this, I always wondered why things still had to come to an end. I never looked at a persons being as finite, well not until it began to harm my being. And that’s just it.
The spectrum of good and bad is finite. Growth is continuous and happens in seasons and cycles. It’s not a matter of if a human is good or bad- it’s a matter of if they’re contributing to an environment of growth for you and them.
It’s true both light and darkness, good and evil can be present in a person. Duality is necessary, I’ve personally learned that my darkness is just as beautiful as my light. Which brings me to my next point.
Discovering the Dark Side of the Moon
I wanna talk about healing our shadows. Ive recently learned a lot about the concept from a tik tok creator I enjoy @victoria.therese. In academic terms they call shadows ‘biases.’ These are the thumb tacks in your subconscious that prevent you from seeing, only feeling. Biases, shadows are triggers. Your response is the bullet. When you understand this about yourself and others it makes you realize it really is all about growth. People are like plants, there’s nothing wrong with them. They just need some extra attention specific to their problem, some water, sun, maybe a little trimmy trim. Some therapy maybe like idk.
Why it’s important to acknowledge your own shadows:
they create projections, judgements, and criticisms which ultimately leads to separation- loneliness which stems from the expectations you created for yourself through your shadows; unrealistic expectations at that.
Shadows are repressed sense of self.
Before I fully understood shadows and darkness I would only allow myself to exist in light. Although I acknowledged everyone else’s I was scared of my own. I didn’t necessarily change myself but I HID myself because of this. Pushed the darkness deep inside and locked her away- well until I couldn’t hold her anymore. Then she was all consuming. I didn’t realize it at the time but I was in a constant state of experiencing cognitive dissonance. So wavering between being seen and unseen brought many people confusion which sometimes they mistook for betrayal. My external existence was fully immersed in light while my internal existence was dark. And not in the way of sadness, my conscious and subconscious were contradicting one another because they weren’t acknowledging one another. It took me some time to accept that both the light and the dark are me. And they can exist at the same time. Beautifully.
This is a perfect example of why thoughts and behaviors being labeled “evil” and “bad” are so harmful. These terms cultivate guilt and shame which creates shadows, biases, triggers. This is also the language of our oppressors, if my previous explanation WASNT enough to convince you to be intentional about your language. So let’s get into the terminology we SHOULD start using and why.
What to say instead of “bad” or “evil”
hurtful
harmful
not beneficial
stagnant
inefficient
unproductive
Good is conditional but acceptance is unconditional. It’s as simple as that.
In conclusion, check your shadows by processing your thoughts and feelings and preventing projections. I personally hate being perceived but now that I understand shadows I stopped trying to solve everyone else’s problem with me. Your turn, free yourself beloved!