Light & Dark

§lIntroduction §rThere is a delicate balance between light and dark. Good and evil. Day and night. Right and wrong. Neither of those motives, those forces, are pure. Just as the light from the sun

casts dark shadows, even the best of intentions will cause a ripple of consequence. But light is not alone in this pursuit. Even the effects of darkness have a cause and effect in some place on someone. Though

we may try for pure action, in truth, it is impossible. It is an unattainable ambition. The simple fact is this: The very concept of one is dependant on the other. Without one, we could not fathom the opposite. To

use an analogy: If we could not feel warmth, then we would not understand cold.

§lA Study in Dark §r As stated previously, even those with the blackest perceived intentions will have a positive effect. These effects can be anything. Some given examples might be a community banding

together. A charitable act toward an otherwise distant a acquaintance in event of a creeper explosion. Even if the harm is intentional, at its most basic form, it brings the gift of joy to the offender. While

these effects vary in their response and type, something will always be there to act as a beacon. Perhaps the most important thing to note is that malice is merely a matter of perspective in the eye of the beholder. Say for

instance, if someone steals enough wheat so that they might make a loaf of bread to avoid starvation, is that inherently evil? To some this might be an open and shut case of theft, while others consider it simply an act of

survival. Some have been known to raid the homes and towns of testificates in the name of survival. Some have even adopted them into slavery. In the eyes of the testificates those are dark deeds, though we will

generally classify them under the necessity of survival. By this point, it should be noted that even the most vile of actions can come with the best intentions, and even the most vile of intentions can

create the best of actions. Acts of malice, intended or no, have had a negative stigma attached to them. This social stigma is entirely understandable, but we must also realize that these

actions are necessary. With that stated, if these acts are necessary, the does that imply that they are in fact inherently good? Difficult, yes, but we must ask if decisions that are viewed as malevolent and

cruel, are simply made from a different perspective?

§lA Study in Light §l§r It is undeniable that no matter how pure, how noble, there will be unintended consequences to any action. To simplify it even further, when one person gains, then another will lose. Though, this

effect is not necessarily a direct result of the gain. The gain may be giving a friend a single gunpowder so that he or she might level a mountain. What if, with the left over gunpowder turned TNT, the friend decides to

supply another with the explosive needed for a cannon? Or perhaps it gets stolen, then used to murder another? These sort of consequences cannot be taken into account, as there are infinite possibilities. While

we may carry out great deeds, they will also breed great darkness. Just as with evil, good is but a matter of perspective. Just as the wheat thief, in his or her mind, he or she is but a humble traveler in

need of sustenance. Perhaps that person is even harvesting enough for his or her friend, to save but another life. If we take a box and give ourselves a fixed position around the box, we are unable to see everything.

Just as if we take others, place them seperately around the box. Each will describe the box different, though no one is technically anymore right or wrong than the others. Acts of kindness

and benevolence are hoisted up onto the quartz white pedastools people seem to think they so understandably deserve. These actions would be put there if we did not have ignoble acts to compare them to. Where is the line drawn

between actions of good and evil? Desire for these great acts can consume us like a flame. This lust can morph us into being we otherwise would not have become.

§lIn Conclusion §l §rThese forces are nothing if not codependent. Sometimes we will lie to ourselves. We spin a fiction that we're the heroes of our own stories. We will try to tell ourselves this fiction again and again until it

begins to sound like a simple truth to us. Each of us wants push against an opposing force, against oppression, against anarchy, brutality, conformity, chaos, hatred. We will kill and die for our ideologies, which we judge to be pure

of heart. We will fight for these despite the harm they may cause to others, despite the losses we might incur. We do this because we like to pretend that we can tell the difference between

light and dark, good and evil. The fact is that they are interwoven. Each cannot survive without the other. This creates a moral grey area in and of itself. Without one, the other cannot exist. They are two sides of the same coin.