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Let me just acknowledge the excellence of JoshTriplett's comment and add a bit of my own. What you are really saying (not that you have the wherewithall to adm

Let me just acknowledge the excellence of JoshTriplett's comment and add a bit of my own. What you are really saying (not that you have the wherewithall to admit it) is you don't believe this can be done, and therefore no one can do it. In other words, you don't believe we can self-evolve into being better people, much less being beyond temptation to selfishness at the expense of others. And so, by believing this, you have prevented yourself from even trying to be better, but you have only limited yourself. The rest of us are capable of evolving ourselves beyond our vices into the selfless light of compassionate service to mankind, not that it has ever been a commonly taken path. This is why the person who does not enter the Path of Love has "eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear, and a heart that does not understand," as we have to begin our transformation to see the world (and ourselves) for what is possible. This is why the uncommitted can be fooled by the cruelly lying oppressors of mankind, as has been repeated throughout history. Those bent on selfish mischief cater to the ignorant's selfish desire for ease, no matter who else is harmed in the process. In this way they are even worse than the animals, as they use our advanced abilities to behave as mere pack animals, lacking all humanity and its essential element: compassion.

bluGill 2y ago
It can be and is done. However it is only by careful effort as your base nature will sometimes do something that isn't a good thing. You are the same type of human as everyone else. There isn't anything special about Stalin that made him evil, all the evil in him could come out of you in the right situation. (and he thought he was doing good).
- hackable_sand 2y ago
  It doesn't take much effort or care at all to be genuine and good.
  - bluGill 2y ago
    Sometimes it doesn't take much effort. Sometimes it takes a lot. Depends on what values and desires are in conflict, what everyone else is doing, how likely you think you are to get caught (not getting caught would of course bring in a different desire into the question), and probably some other values/desires that I can't think of now. Many people set their life up so that they avoid the conflicts they believe would be a problem for them. People are complex creatures with complex values and desires. Sometimes two values are in conflict (which may be a hypothetical or real situation) so it is impossible to be true to both values at the same time.

bluGill 2y ago

It can be and is done. However it is only by careful effort as your base nature will sometimes do something that isn't a good thing. You are the same type of human as everyone else. There isn't anything special about Stalin that made him evil, all the evil in him could come out of you in the right situation. (and he thought he was doing good).

hackable_sand 2y ago
It doesn't take much effort or care at all to be genuine and good.
- bluGill 2y ago
  Sometimes it doesn't take much effort. Sometimes it takes a lot. Depends on what values and desires are in conflict, what everyone else is doing, how likely you think you are to get caught (not getting caught would of course bring in a different desire into the question), and probably some other values/desires that I can't think of now. Many people set their life up so that they avoid the conflicts they believe would be a problem for them. People are complex creatures with complex values and desires. Sometimes two values are in conflict (which may be a hypothetical or real situation) so it is impossible to be true to both values at the same time.