Complicating the Simple Part 1
On Intention and Action
As I recall my blogsposts a few months back, I stumbled at my post wherein I somehow spoke of intention and manner of doing the intention. I cannot recall the exact words that I used, but it’s somehow like this: People generally have good intentions, but the manner in doing so varies its results; may it be for the person itself or for others.
I just had the urge to dwell on this matter as I woke up this morning…
I still believe, even if I have no more reason to, that people really have good intentions in their mind. Considering that all people are god in nature, their actions comes or roots out of it. Since man in general is good, his actions in general must be good as well. But let’s look at the real (and somehow grim) thing about life. No one can tell me, especially nowadays, that there is this particular person who is the personal embodiment of this nature and action of goodness. Looking at the fact that we are somehow infected, affected or plagued by influences that surrounds us (may it be good or bad), each and everyone of us cannot have goodness alone. Let’s just face it…all of us have our own demons within.
Thus, from this, we come at this statement: Indeed man is by nature good, but is somehow nurtured with the presence of evil. I would then assume the position that all the “good” actions that we do or know as such are tainted with a certain degree of “evil”. Come to think of this, when we do wrong or evil, we are somehow aware of the contradictory standpoint of it (that is, good). How about if we shift things 180 degrees?
Someone who’s reading this might ask me why we are moving away from my introductory issue. Actually, I’m not. I’m just going back to look at the principles (those that I see firsthand) guiding the issue of intention and action. I just saw that since man is generally good, his actions are also good, including his intentions. However, as I recall my studies in Ethics, it speaks of sin (or evil) enters in the level of decision, precedent to action. Thus, one’s actions may be tainted of affected by evil, to some extent; however we see it as good.
Now, looking at everything that I mentioned above, I could say then that the subject doing the intention is at fault for the result of the intention. We see our intention as good, and since the action that descends from it came from good, we see it in the same way as good. But it’s not always the case. The gravity of the action, especially towards the other subject (or person), is that variable that changes everything. How? It is the presence of individual perception (or somehow, the shallow relativity) of the notion of goodness…
(to be continued (on the absolute and relative presence of goodness and conclusion) and republished later…its no use if I spill everything here in one shot, right?)
P.S.: Why do I somehow complicate things that can be perceived as simple? Simple. Some simple things are even hard to understand by those who are too wise (as they say they are). I’m just helping them out.
Quoting from a Friend…Food for Thought
I would just like to quote some lines from a dear friend’s blog. It’s interesting, and it moved me to think about things, especially my relationship with other people. Anyway, here it is:
“Alam namin na minsan talaga, nakakabangga ka lang ng hindi mo sinasadya at madaling patawarin iyon. Yun nga lang, silipin mo man lang sana kung ang nabangga mo ay nadapa, tumumba o nasugatan”.
