A frightening, yet philosophical dream.

[minuetcat]

I had this dream about three weeks ago and it cannot seem to leave my head. I've been puzzling over its significance for quite some time and--finally!--I think I've unraveled its true meaning.

Some background: I'm re-reading Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series (absolutely thrilling, epic, GREAT fantasy if anyone's interested). Well, in

Comments

[katinator44]

From 17 years of attending a Mennonite church who blissfully runs around and thinks if they give enough money, drum enough drums, build enough homes, and say just the right thing the world will be evil free. I don't feel this way, as you have realized. But even so I don't think the world is made up of good and evil...just people. Angry people, sad people, desperate people, and proud people (of course there's a lot more). Then all these people disagree and it gets ugly and we label that evil. I don't think there's any way to get rid of it except to pick one person, kill off everyone else, and clone that person to populate the world and that alone would fall into the category of "evil".

[akumadaimyo]

Except that cloning only clones the appearance, not attitude. You CANNOT clone a personality. That is formed via life experiences and socialization with other people. So that idea is very wrong. Evil cannot be gotten rid of unless no one has the free will to commit evil. But then it's said that taking away free will is evil. So it's hopeless. But to give up would be stupid. One does not give up putting out forest fires because there will always be more. If they do they are stupid quiters and deserve to burn alive.

[katinator44]

I think there's a big difference between trying to achieve world peace and just trying to achieve peace. Striving for peace by helping those who need it is a beautiful and wonderful thing, but expecting to rid the world of evil completely is a different thing. Just because world peace isn't possible doesn't mean we should stop doing things to help other people by any means :) and you're right...I just had in my head the idea of the world being populated by one person. I doubt it would ever happen, was just an example.

[minuetcat]

Exactly...even as I was writing the entry it occurred to me that the word "evil" is only a placeholder for negativity in general. The concept is indeed man-made, as is the concept of time. But yeah...any attempts to destroy evil from the world will only create more, and be evil in itself...it's funny like that, huh?

[akumadaimyo]

Evil is an idea and a mindset, not a physical form. A man may die, but not his ideas. That includes evil. Hitler may be dead but his idea of fascism and Nazism lives on. The Devil might not be real but there are people who think he is and live up to those ideas of evil for hope of a reward from the Devil himself. So no matter how many people you kill or turn away from evil acts, there will always be more. It's the price of free will. Free will allows the choice of evil or good or even to be neutral. Only without free will could life be free of evil but then what kind of life would that be at all?

[minuetcat]

Very well said! That's what my dream was trying to convince me of, and it worked.

[rewhite]

The next night, I had a nightmare. I was in Chicago.

When I told Amanda, she asked what happened. I replied that I was in Chicago, and that place gives me the willies.