Day 209 Question 209:
Are some people just innately bad/evil?
I always wonder how genetics and our human wiring really works. I question everything…even science sometimes….strictly because we always see constant changes. What is healthy for us one day can kill us the next. The human body is such a mystery and I wonder if there are people that are born to be bad and to do “evil” things. I have a sister that is not related to me by blood and it may not be a nice thing to say but I believe she was innately wired to be bad. From as young as I can remember, this was a girl that found pleasure in harming people with her words and her actions. That was NEVER taught to her….at least not by anyone in my family. It is that continual debate over nature vs. nurture. If we were to find out 100% that our genetics are who we are completely and our actions are due to these genetics would we kill of the people that we knew were innately bad? Would that make us any better for doing so? We see so much on the news about serial killers and mass murders and I wonder if some of these people were destined to do bad things.
I guess this topic stems from the previous topic of whether we were born with positive self-esteem and it just deteriorates over time or whether we have to develop it over time. There are so many questions that cannot be answered and I find it fascinating but also kind of scary. Being a person that is unsure of truth in anything can sometimes be unsettling. Honestly, a lot stems to my questioning of creation and evolution. I love the idea of God and the formation of mankind but I know I will never have a solid belief….I never have a solid belief in anything…unless it is something I have experienced first-hand. If God did/does exist what would his purpose be of creating evil people?? Is it strictly to challenge us as a human race? Is it so we are able to understand goodness more? We need polar opposites in order to understand…i.e. love/hate, good/bad, rich/poor. Without one we would not be able to truly understand the other…would we? So if we were to find out that some people are born innately bad/evil, what is the solution? Is it something we could find out about them at an early age? If so, what do we do then? If not, do we just wait to see what people do? I find this topic so interesting because a part of me believes that some people are just wired to do bad things. I believe EVERYONE has goodness in them but some people are wired so that the bad outweighs to the good…as naïve and silly as that may sound to some people.
I have always been a big supporter of the Nurture Theory….our environments determine who we are…but I also believe our genetics play a huge part. I say this from personal experience in my very own family. When I read about serial killers and murderers that feel no remorse and actually find pleasuring in harming, torturing and murdering people, I can’t help but think that their internal wiring is off balance. It seems so unnatural (to me) to find pleasure in another person’s pain….but some people may not feel that same way….the opposite may be natural to them.
Yes, this is the stuff I think about A LOT! I live only with this body and this soul so I am also so curious how other people function…what they think and what they feel. I do not condone the actions of murderers but I always want to know what is going on inside of them internally. Does it feel natural and right for them to harm others??? Twisted as it seems, I believe that is a real possibility for some.
It's a New Day... 
I would say that, in general, a person is neither good nor evil: those are not appropriate concepts for describing the nature of a person. In most cases when people exhibit cruelty, it seems likely that this cruelty is a corruption – a product of fear, in which case the relevant factor of that person’s nature would be some sort of weakness or vulnerability. In this way, evil is a malfunctioning of humanity more than it is a flaw of humanity. Those people who revel in pure cruelty, and feel no remorse, are not fully developed people – they are disabled, crippled, lacking certain instincts normally found in humans. I also like to focus on the nature of humanity, but I would attribute the “evil” that people do to environmental forces and ideological climate. It is the perversion, confusion, or malfunctioning of our natural instincts and character.
I think most people that are bad, would be whatever was done to help, a small percentage can become good. But I do feel it is there within waiting for the ignition…:)
There is good and bad in all of us. the choice is which we care to be. Circumstances in life play a big part in our decision and the direction we follow. We have to keep on reminding ourselves what is the right direction that we should follow, we see and hear of different ‘bad things by bad people’ going on in the world and keep reminding ourselves that these are bad people and we don’t want to be the same. Being nurtured and taught from an early age about what is right and what is wrong, shapes how we become.
You need to start learning about psychopaths. They have a real description for them now, and there is a clinical diagnosis also. Eric Harris was a psychopath, and no one ever knew … Read Snakes in Suits by Richard Hare, and then do the research from there .. they use our conscience against us … We wonder how could someone be that way, and they don’t really care what we think or feel at all
Behavior is either chemical or learned. Nobody with a chemically balanced brain and nurturing childhood, where they’re taught right from wrong, Choooses to be evil. They’re either compelled by their thoughts (chemical) to believe wrong is right, or they’re taught and/or beaten into skewed behavior. If they’re “born” bad, it’s merely their brain that is malfunctioning, not their soul that is evil.
I feel that people are inherently good because they, or we- each at our core are sustained by a connection, similar to a thread which conducts current of “energy/frequency/Divine Being into the Form that we use to experience Life. We call this form our physical, emotional, mental and even our spiritual beliefs. The current of being is Pure Love, which would have many qualities and actions to its Nature, goodness included. To degree to which that Nature is reveals and allow to emerge and Become is part of the Individual’s life journey. Evil, is the resistance against this, or it’s opposite and it’s Nature is characterized by fear which spans hatred and what we call ‘bad”. It is much more complicated than this. But just for this moment I would say that no Soul is evil, the human…broken away, can become affected by his own, lack of Prime Energy/ current, as if to Breath in God and allowance for Love to nourish Brain, body, the En-“In” Soul, that change and shift in consciousness is possible. Love, Linda
I do not remember where I heard this, “our nature loads the gun, and our nurture decides whether or not to fire it.” I love the book by Mary Piper called “Reviving Ophelia” about the female transitions into adulthood (and how two girls of the same circumstance can ‘end up’ going such different ways. It was transformational for me to read that book. As a Christian I do believe we are all born with a sin nature, not coming from God, but dating back to the fall of man in the garden of Eden. As a parent, it was easy to see that sin nature in my children when they were only toddlers/preschoolers, and so determined to be naughty. I love the thoughts that you expressed today, thanks for sharing them.
Carole
This is a really fascinating subject you bring up. I think you have an interesting way of breaking the pattern of under-thinking things. Very thought provoking. Thanks.
Diane,
First of all it’s rare I hear anyone explicitly talk about how frustrating it can be being an agnostic, not only on religion, but as a basic position. So we really share that. It is relieving to talk to someone who gets that.
Secondly, as far as this specific question goes, you might be the perfect person to appreciate what I spent much of the last year working on. It’s a very long, comprehensive series about the scientific investigations of just the question your’e asking. In fact, you might not realize it, but there is actually a field dedicated to asking just these types of questions, though most people have not heard of it.
Since you seem like the type of person who might find it worthwhile to go through, I’ve linked to the introductory blog post. It’s a lot to read, but see what you think. And feel free to let me know your thoughts.
Thank you so much :0)
I wonder about this a lot too. Thanks for sharing.