Leave Behind the World a Better Way

I think that good and bad does rule our world in a very real sense.  But I don't think that the world is a simple as Harry Potter versus Voldy.  Here's how it goes:

1. Good and evil aren't at war.  While in a religious sense I think that God and the Devil literally engage in a full combat attack on a moment-to-moment basis, that's a different animal altogether.  I think of good and evil more like those scales on the statue of Justice outside of the Supreme Court building. There's give and there's take inside an individual at any given time and a person's goal should be to push as much of their actions onto the "good" side of the balance and manifest that aspect of your personality as profoundly as possible.  I don't think of it as a war.  I think that "good" and "evil" are simply a series of decisions, smooth choices, in a person's life. 

2. Good and evil aren't defined events but rather motivations and intents.  Thomas Paine said, "The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion."  I adore that quote because to consider "doing good" one's religion shows an unmatched level of conscious commitment that bleeds into daily life.  I think that's what it's all about.  I feel that as long as your actions reflect a desire "to leave behind the world a better way," then you're pretty much as good as you can be.  Don't get hung up in the idea that "no good deed goes unpunished."  It's hard enough to focus your actions to help others.  Fear of failure should never stop a person from striving for self-improvement.

I think good and evil are as simple as that.  They amount to nothing more than making the decision to serve others and the world with your actions.