Written by: Manaswi Sapkota - 26004, Grade X
Posted on: 07 December, 2023
We can generally classify people as good or bad. ‘Good’ meaning desirable and good doers, and ‘bad’ being undesirable, consisting of people who often act morally and lawfully wrong. As society progresses, I feel as though the line between good and bad is getting blurred, which makes me question: Aren’t good and bad just human constructs?
A person being good or bad is highly dependent on the circumstances. For instance, having a luxurious mansion is a good thing because it allows a person to live very comfortably. However, if a murder were to happen in that mansion, it becomes a danger to the owners, as they could become the victims as well. At that moment, not having that mansion doesn’t sound too bad. This example illustrates how the perception of good and bad can dramatically shift based on the situation. Similarly, humans too should be classified as good or bad based on the circumstance. This illustrates how various situations can affect how a person is perceived.
While dividing people as good and bad, it is important to take into consideration that extremes in these classifications can be problematic, as neither constant happiness nor constant misery is ideal. This is because being too happy at a person's funeral is rude; hence, it is never too good to be happy all the time. At the same time, if someone is having a wedding, you cannot mope around all day, as it would ruin the couple's experience.
The division between good and bad often overlooks the vast spectrum of situations in the real world. When someone commits a crime, our immediate reaction is to label them as "bad." However, if we go deeper, we realize that there are instances where such actions may be justifiable. This is the importance of having a more undivided perspective, seeing the world not as black and white but as an array of colors, each representing a unique context.
As I have said earlier, human perception of good and bad is heavily subjective. It depends on social, cultural, and traditional values. That is because, to Hindus, any person who consumes cows is bad because in their caste, it is a crime punishable by going to hell. But at the same time, to a person who has grown up in a totally different environment, wouldn’t find any harm in eating cows. This is another example of how good and bad are biased. Similarly, intent also sways a person’s judgment of who is good and who is bad. If a person were to kill someone, they are wrong and bad. But in the case that the murder was to defend themselves or someone else, they would be deemed as a hero. This is how intent plays an important role in dividing good and bad.
In the end, whether you are good or bad is nothing more than human ideas. This is due to the fact that a person is classified as bad or good not based on hard facts, but also on societal norms, values, moral values, circumstances, and intentions. We should strive to look beyond the surface and decide what really makes ‘good’ good and ‘bad’ bad.
