by Faye Lewis

Created on: June 23, 2009

Are we, as humans, basically good? This is a question I constantly find myself asking. Just taking a look at the news, witnessing the corruption and endless scandal that's publicised infinitely all over the airwaves makes me wonder-How can good exist in a world filled with so much evil? However, I've taken the time to think about this question, to analyze it thoroughly and I believe I've come up with a solid opinion.

From the time we exit the womb we are forced to follow the not-so-gentle expectations of what others desire. As children, our parents, teachers, and society instill a general message to us; teaching children what is status quo, what's "acceptable", and the difference between the "right thing" and the "wrong thing". However, in doing so, our inner beauty and the things that make us unique get crushed into normality. I believe that, for the people too afraid to be themselves, the lack of self-expression creates inner turmoil and ultimately leads to outbursts of great proportions, otherwise known as rebellion. Thus leading to chaos. The pandemonium births a new doubt in the human race.
In the literary caption we read aloud, Zora writes about racism in her ancestors' time period, how African Americans before her who endured the grueling sacrifices and discrimination for the sake of her generation. What is discrimination, racism, prejudice, and sexism but ideals driven into the minds of the ignorant? As a child, if your mother and father taught you that a certain race, a certain religion, or a certain gender are lowly, you'll trust them because they're the same person who says, "Don't touch that, it's hot" when you reach for a scalding pan. When you get burned, you realize they were right. So, being naive, the natural response is to trust them on other things, right? Can you really blame a child who was taught to think a certain way for doing what they're told?
Hypothetically speaking; if a group of uneducated, undisciplined children were stranded on some distant island, completely oblivoious to any rule what so ever, how would they live? Survival of the fittest. In this situation, does good cancel out? If living requires killing another person, what is good exactly? How can we honestly define good from evil? What we consider taboo and cruel, could be what someone else considers normal. To define someone as good, how? That word is so general, so pliable. I actually took the time to look it up on dictionary.com and I found literally forty-seven definitions for one word.
All in all, I think it boils down to one thing: we are born innocent. And in being so, we do not have limitations on what is "right" and what is "wrong". We're ignorant to the negative idealisms that are instilled in some children even today in our modern society. We are born not good, but pure, and based on our community, environment, and guardians' beliefs we are taught.

Learn more about this author, Faye Lewis.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.