What exactly is evil?

When we look at the word evil, we tend to associate it with acts people have committed toward another, such as 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Holocaust, the murders by Charles Manson, and the Devil himself. However, are these really considered evil acts? What determines if something or someone is evil? Let's look at the examples I used up above.

The majority of us are familiar with September 11th, with the exception of those who were born after 2001. We know hijackers of Middle Eastern descent took control of various aircrafts to use them to cause total destruction and kill a massive group of people, but is what they did really considered an act of evil? President Bush seemed to agree that it was indeed evil. I will come to an agreement and say that it was a horrific and most devastating act by multiple human beings, but I will not say it was an act of evil, because what really is evil? Really, we can say that anything can be considered "evil". My mom tends to think skeletons are evil, along with Halloween. I come from a Christian family, so I hear and know a lot about the word "evil". So speaking of religion, what if I said the terrorists' of September 11th performed those acts because of their religion? Now, that does not make anything they did acceptable, because they also did it out of hatred. However, these were people that were raised differently to follow a certain belief. They were conditioned to know what they were taught at a young age and only that. It is the same thing with us today with our beliefs. We choose to believe in God or not, and what we learn at a young age follows us for the rest of our lives. What may sound wrong, is actually right to other people, and vice versa. Those terrorists died and killed in the name of Allah, just as Christians go on a mission trip in the name of the Lord, although, according to one of the pillars of the Muslim faith, it is immoral and sinful to cause harm to another human. To link this to a fine example is to bring up the Christian Crusades. Christians, my brothers, killed hundreds of people, including Muslims, in the name of Christ because they did not want to follow Christianity. How is that any different than what those terrorists did to those people? So again, these people were told what they were doing was right, even though it was wrong in the eyes of millions. This was not an act of evil, but corruption of the mind.

One of the largest mass killings, or genocides, in the world is held responsible by the man who is considered the most evil of them all, Adolf Hitler. I don't believe the man was evil, but perhaps more superstitious than anything. We are all familiar with the Swastika, or NAZI symbol, that Hitler obtained, but actually Hitler never created the Swastika, but borrowed it from the ancient Greeks. The symbol was nothing more of a good luck charm, like a horseshoe or rabbits foot. The symbol on the NAZI's arms and flags might as well have been a rabbits foot, because that's all the Swastika was, a good luck charm. To get even more superstitious, Hitler believed that Jewish people were responsible, not only for the devastation of mankind, but for WWI as well. In other words, Hitler was a coward who believed in nothing but bad luck. So like a little girl, he rounded up a group of his finest men, and when I say finest I mean men who had no choice but to support Hitler or they would die, to take care of the monster in the closet. Though Hitler killed countless number and men, women, and children, he only did so because he was afraid. A child sees a small spider was on the wall, so he freaks out, calls his father into the room to kill the spider and made it seem like it was so much bigger than it actually was. Not an act of evil, but cowardliness.

How about the murders of Charles Manson? Let me begin by saying they were not murders, but killings. Murders are when people kill out of hatred, but Charles Manson did not kill out of hate. He killed because he believed God told him to. In short, the man plead insanity. He heard voices in his head to kill certain people, and he only did what he was told. Not too many people have this issue, but others do actually deal with schizophrenia and other manic disorders that are uncontrollable by the individual. People who deal with OCD, depression, Alzheimer's, and Tourette's can hardly even control their mind or body movements. Manson had a horrible disease that not only affected him, but many others by their deaths. It is very unfortunate, but it is not an act of evil, but insanity.

Finally, let's look at the source in which evil pours from, the Devil. The Bible mentions Satan quite a few times, actually more than it talks about Heaven, but nowhere does it say he was evil. In fact, the Bible says he was the most beautiful angel in heaven. The angelic name Lucifer was provided to Satan, meaning the Light bringer. Also, Lucifer, or Satan, was created by God in heaven, and as we know, God creates all thing in HIS image. If God created something that was evil, then that must mean God is also evil, but that is not the case. Christians condemn Lucifer for being the most evil spiritual figure due to his enjoyment of misery and bringing harm to others. But that can't really be considered evil, because isn't that why America went to Iraq and Afghanistan, to basically get revenge on those so-called "evil-doers". I think whenever another human takes the life of a loved one, all we want is to bring total misery upon that person. The Devil is also considered evil because he tempts us with immorality and sexual desire. It is bad to have immoral sexual desires, but what about prostitutes? Are they evil because they tempt us with sexual pleasure? Jesus confronted a prostitute, Mary Magdalene, but loved her dearly regardless of her sexual desires. Lucifer is another example of a corrupt mind. If God provided us with free will, then we all have the will to hate others and cause misery with pleasure toward our fellow man, but because our society frowns upon such things, we act in a more civil manner because we know the kind of punishment that awaits if we mess up. However, if we lived in a world where hurting others was acceptable, there would be no such thing as the word "evil". Being nice would probably be considered an act of evil. All of this is defined on how we perceive the world and how we were brought up.

Too Much 3D

If you haven't already noticed, almost every movie that has come out within the last year has been in 3D. I will admit, it is really nice to experience movies in a whole new way, but how much is enough? Some movies look great in 3D, such as cartoons and some action flicks, but there comes a time when a movie needs to just stay 2D. Here are some of the past movies that have come out in 3D: The Final Destination, Avatar, Despicable Me, Toy Story 3, Last Airbender (no relation to James Cameron's Avatar), and many others. Within the next year movies such as: SAW, Smurfs, Cats & Dogs, Tron, and Step Up, are all going to be in 3D. I think the movie industry is getting really desperate to sell a movie. These are some movies that people don't even want to watch in 3D. The worst thing about these 3D movies is that they aren't truly in 3D. Most of the 3D movies that have come out have not been in 3D, but in High Def. When I picture a 3D movie, I imagine things popping out of the screen coming toward my face, such as the obvious finger point, or the original paddle ball effect. I've realized that if I take off the 3D glasses, the movie I am watching is visually clear during most part of the feature. Just because the movie says it's in 3D, doesn't actually mean the movie will be in "eye popping 3D". Again, when we think of 3D movies, we think of objects flying off the screen, but just because a movie says it's in 3D doesn't mean it already is. A real life action movie is already in fact in 3D. Real life people are already 3 Dimensional figures. Even with the technology some companies have; such as Dreamworks and Pixar, they are already in 3D. I remember growing up and waiting for the next 3D movie to come out, because they were really rare to come across during the 90s and below. We'd use to get those glasses with the red and blue filter lenses. Those were the 3D movies that had to be seen, because they were truly eye popping. Being a kid and watching 'Spy Kids 3D' was the best because things were flying off the screen every five minutes. Those were the kind of things we wanted to see in 3D. Now, there are so many movies people don't even want to imagine watching in 3D. If a movie company wants to make a 3D movie, they shouldn't do it just to make money, but for the best 3D experience a person can have. I don't ever want to hear about a 3D Jackass, or anything that has nothing to do with 3D. A good 3D movie is very hard to come across, so to go see one would be well worth the extra money people have to pay for a ticket. I don't want to see the day when every single movie that comes out will be in 3D. The movie industry just needs to cool it down a little, because there is way too much 3D.

Oh my God, what a slut!

How many times have we heard that four letter word; S-L-U-T. How about this; how many times do you think you've said it? Or even this; how many times do you think you've been called it? Whether you've been called it, or have said it, we've all heard it. It's a word we usually hear everyday. It's usually a word to describe a girl. The bad part about being called a slut is the fact you have no idea why you are one. The term slut usually refers to a girl who has had sex with a bunch of guys. But what about guys? Don't guys have just as much, if not more, sex with girls? A guy will never be called a slut, because there is no such word. A guy is either a pimp, player, or stud, but never a slut. That just proves that having sex with a lot of people is not considered being a slut, but being promiscuous. Honestly, every person desires to have sex. We all want it, and I'm sure we all think it. The word slut is a word that is only referred to young women. When a girl grows up to be in her mid 30s or 40s, she no longer considered a slut, but a Cougar, which is pretty much the exact same thing as a slut, except its what every person wants. Girls can be titled as a slut just because she developed more quickly than the other girls in her grade. Because some girls are more attractive than others, girls will automatically assume they are having sex. If a girl dresses inappropriately, we then again assume she's a slut because she looks like a prostitute. However, if a guy dresses inappropriately, like a gangster, no one cares. Girls are taught to be prissy at a young age, while men were taught to be dominant over the earth, because it's probably not his fault. I don't think girls wake up in the morning wanting to be a slut. I think the problem is because how the world views girls. Because men want hot attractive girls, insecure girls will stoop to that level to just feel pretty. Every girl just wants to feel pretty, but sometimes it may be taken too far. A person is only a slut if they if that's what they hopelessly believe in.

Big Girls Don't Cry, according to Fergie

Girls are perhaps one of the most complex puzzles; mainly because we (guys) never have the slightest clue what's going on in their heads. Though we may not be able to understand them, we can still agree that they go through peer pressure. Girls are taught at an early age to be sensitive, caring, and nurturing. As they get older, they are taught to diet, look attractive, and have sex. Even if guys have some trouble with insecurities, girls are more vulnerable because of what society expects of them. If we look at any girl magazine we could probably see a girl who is pretty good looking. It's usually the kind of girl all the guys want to be with. Guys even have magazines with girls on the front cover, but it doesn't mean it's for girls to read. The media depicts girls to look like goddesses, and this causes self-esteem issues with younger girls. I can probably say that most girls at one point in their life idolized a super model from a Victoria's Secret magazine, or some Teen Vogue. But it's not enough to just look good. These girls are also pressured to have sex. Usually, if an attractive girl walks by, we can assume that she must be having sex a lot. However, that's only an assumption, because guys and girls would think it's madness for an attractive girl not to have sex. Some girls have to have sex to feel like one of the gang. They have to find a way to fit in. All girls just want to fit into some group. Usually, in the movies, we see hot girls in clicks, while being mean to nerdy average girls. Honestly, most high schools are not like that. Sure, there are clicks, but it's not really torture to get into one. But when worse comes to worse, girls want to be in any click, because the other girls seem so cool. It's never easy being a girl, nor a guy. No matter what decade it is, both guys and girls have certain expectations to live up to. Whether women think big girls don't cry, or men think it's a mans world, there are still as many pressures.

It's a Man's World, according to James Brown

Men are amongst the oldest living beings; after all, Adam did come before Eve. For centuries, men have been depicted as hero's, or warriors; conqueror's set out to rule the world. During the Italian Renaissance, artists such as Michelangelo depicted his male sculptors to resemble god's. They were men with muscles on their muscles. That depiction of men has carried on all the way to today. Usually, women would say that men have it easy because they don't need to diet, or have the need to look attractive. Believe it, or not, men go through the same thing women go through. Men are human beings after all. We do have insecurities, but we just do a great job of hiding it better. Typically, women go for the strong, buff, good looking guy. Because of that, guys have the tendency to mimic the men they see on TV, or movies. Also, men have more pressure of doing drugs than women. Unlike women, men don't really know how to cope with stress, so we find substitutes to ease the stress. Of course, not every guy does drugs, but men are more vulnerable to them. We have the pressure of being tough. A typical man today will not admit to being afraid of something. Rather than admitting our fears, we take it head on. Us men have to show our dominance over fear. After all, fear doesn't control us, we control it. It is proven that girls do have more pressure than men, but it doesn't exclude men's pressures from being less important. Why else would men do stupid things? The only way we can usually fit in is if we prove our capabilities to others. One of the biggest things guys are attacked on is the idea of them always wanting to have sex. The typical male does in fact think about sex every seven seconds. That doesn't necessarily make us bad people. Sex is one of the most important aspect of basic survival, next to food and water. Just because we think about it, doesn't mean we have done it. I think men are even more pressured to have sex at such a young age because that's what society shows us in the media. We can't turn on the radio today and not hear a song about a guy wanted to get busy with his girl. Because men have that feeling of dominance, they feel they have to fulfill that trait. Men can fall into peer pressure just as easily as women. It's so hard to just say no. I'm sure we've all gone through the classes about avoiding drugs and alcohol, but how hard is it really to just say no? It really is; especially when you want to fit in.

The Dog

Here, I show an image of Francisco Goya's, 'the Dog'. It is perhaps my all-time favorite painting, and for many reasons too. This is the painting that pulled me into the deeper world of art. Some people might look at this painting and think it's only a dog, or some sort of animal hiding. Then again, there are others like myself, who will constantly gaze upon this painting trying to figure out what exactly is going on in this image. Obviously, the viewer can see a dog peering its head from behind, or above a slope. However, we have to answer the big question, "how far down does the rabbit hole go?" . Excuse the Matrix reference, but to look and actually be fascinated by this image, we would have to look deeper than what we just see in front of us. If we truly look at this painting we would find it to be somewhat disturbing, or creepy, for that matter.
Here's a quick history lesson on the artist Goya, and his reference to this painting. In early 1800s, Goya was faced with a terrible illness, causing him to become deaf. To deal with his condition, Goya created a set of paintings directly onto his home walls. Today, these paintings are known as 'the Black Painting'. Like many disturbed artists, such as Edgar Allen Poe and Van Gogh, these dark, horrific paintings were a way of escaping the everyday problems these people were going through inside themselves.
Now that we know a little background on the painting and artist, what is it that makes this my all-time favorite painting? Well, as I mentioned before, there is a dog in the image. The dog seems to either be hiding behind a hill or stuck beneath a slippery mud slope. However, if we look at the dog, we can see that it is looking upward with its ears slanted back. If the dog is looking upward, then what exactly is it looking at? I think that's what makes this painting so incredible and majestic. I can't help but feel a sense of disturbance and fear when I look at this painting. To the right of the painting, we can see a black mass covering a huge portion of the wall, but we have no idea what the mass is of. Was it an accident? or was it intentional? Is it an overlay of a previous painting? or something far much darker than we can fathom? In my opinion, I believe this painting deals with the concept of fear. I think Goya was trying to say how little, meek, and vulnerable, we are when we encounter our worst inner-fears. In a way, we feel like a scared little dog that's all alone and helpless.
However, this painting could have a totally different perspective coming from someone else. I think that's another reason why this painting is incredible, because we, as the viewer, get to have our own interpretation. Obviously, we know for a fact that this painting was intended to be dark, because it was among the many 'Black Paintings'. No one will ever say this painting is cute, nor heartfelt. To me, this is considered the most beautiful painting in the world, due to its mysterious background and imagery. Like many of Goya's previous paintings, we know what they are about because of its historical concept and themes, but the Dog leaves everyone questioning, "what is it?"

It Must Be Easy Being a Cat

Many of us have some sort of pet, whether it's a cat, dog, bird, fish, or a hamster. The list of pets can go on and on, but how many of us actually look at our pets and become somewhat jealous of their lives? Being an owner of a cat for the past 11 years, and might I add, a very fat lazy cat, I've thought to myself, "man, he's got it so easy". The only thing my cat and I have in common is the fact we are both mammals. However, an animal, and not just my cat, live a life that cannot even compare to the life of a human.
One thing my cat never has to worry about is getting an education. He never has to stress about an upcoming test or think about what college he wants to attend. If there was a scholarship for doing absolutely nothing, then my cat would get a full ride. Doing homework is something he can never do, mainly because his brain isn't capable of comprehending word problems or statistical/logical information. My cat will never know what it feels like to come home with assignments that will take over your entire weekend. I know for a fact my cat would be a big procrastinator, so nothing would ever get done on time, or done at all.
Next, my cat never has to worry about getting a job. I think cats are born with jobs, such as sleeping, eating, and pooping. That has to be a full time job in a life of a cat, but he never has to apply for it. He never has to dress up to go attend an interview or worry about not getting that job. Cat's are probably the cheapest animals on the planet. What are cat's going to do with a job? They don't need money. They will do whatever they can to snatch something for free, whether it's a piece of cheese that falls off the counter, or a rubber band from the news paper. Cat's would be the worst type to go on a date with. This leads to the next part, relationships.
Cat's never, ever have to worry about relationships. Cat's are perhaps the biggest pimps out there. They don't know the meaning of a relationship. They just do what they feel as an instinct. However, they never have to feel the pain of rejection or the loss of a loved one. They have no feelings toward the female feline. Like some humans, the male cat will get the female cat pregnant and then run away never to return. Many of us know how a relationship can sometimes be difficult for some, but cat's never have to stress over what she's feeling at the moment, or how to make her happy all the time. To be honest, I think the male cat would be the worst boyfriend to ever have.
Finally, cat's never have to worry about death. Around the world, most people have some sort of religion they follow. No matter what the religion, besides Atheism, they all believe in some afterlife. Some believe in a Heaven and Hell, while some believe in only some sort of paradise. Death is probably the biggest fear amongst humans, mainly because we have no idea what's going to happen after we die. If we die, what if there really is a Heaven or Hell, and which one would we go to? Cat's will never have to worry about that. Cat's are the biggest existentialists. They do not know their purpose in life, and they have no worry of anything happening to them. Supposedly, when an animal dies, it just dies. People believe an animal has no soul, which means they will not go to Heaven, nor Hell. While others are afraid of the afterlife, cat's can live their lives knowing they will not live in paradise or burn for all eternity.
That's what makes a cat's life seem so easy and calm. Even though a cat's life looks that easy, there is one thing that will always make me not jealous of a cat. It's the fact that he will be dead way before me. I'd rather live 80 years than to die at age 15, which is also 80 years in cats years. He will never experience true love. He will never know the feeling of doing something you're passionate about. My cat will never know the feeling of being successful and achieving life goals. So living a life that's easy sometimes isn't a life worth living at all.