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 So, last Thursday we discussed human nature, and attempted to categorize people as either good or evil. It pains me to say it, but we cannot classify people so simply. Humans are overwhelmingly a shade of grey, to which the black and white of good and evil do not and cannot apply. We defined evil as the willful desire to harm someone/something. I would like to add a lack of remorse to our definition of evil, too. Unless an individual is sociopathic, he or she cannot deliberately harm another person without feeling pangs of regret. If you have lived in Western society, you surely have heard The Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This principle of morality can be found in the Apocrypha of Jewish texts - Tobit and Sirach - as well as faiths from around the world.

I have shamelessly gleaned supporting quotes from Wikipedia:

Buddhism: "One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter." (Dhammapada)

Hinduism: "One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Other behavior is due to selfish desires." (Anusasana Parva, Section CXIII, Verse 8)

Judaism: ""Do to no one what you yourself dislike." (Tobit)

Why did I post this multicultural Golden Rule? Because it is evidence that humans who differ significantly in culture and religion still share an intrinsic moral background - respect for human life. Thus, I find it difficult to believe that many people are truly evil, because the majority of individuals are bombarded from a young age with messages that promote human dignity.

I suppose this raises the question: What about babies and children who are too young to comprehend morality? Are they evil? And I suppose I must give an answer: NO!

I want to redefine "evil" as "selfish behavior," because I believe many people intermix the two. Selfishness is simply valuing oneself over others, and we are all guilty of it at some point. Selfishness is occasionally essential to an individual's survival, when selfless, magnanimous behavior isn't feasible. For instance, a hungry baby wakes up and wails during the middle of the night, awakening its exhausted parents. Is the baby evil? No. Selfish? Yes. For a baby, whose reasoning skills are equivalent to that of a slug, being selfish provides him/her with a meal. Does it matter that the parents must survive the following morning on 4 hours of sleep? No; the baby's survival is guaranteed.

In addition, the baby is already learning the moral skills necessary to function among people. Think about it: a few months after birth, the baby already mimics the facial expressions and verbal intonation of those around him/her. Babies learn through mimicry. After mimicking sounds, what's the next step? Memorizing behaviors, such as altruism and kindness. Due to humanity's intrinsic social nature, a baby is conditioned to become a moral person - one who isn't evil - simply by living among people.    

Why me? Seconds before I post this reflection, I see this appear in my Google Newsfeed: www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/25/pennsylvania.infant.homicides/

Never mind. People are evil.