Universal Truths in Japanese Literature

All throughout our history, we have come to label events, object and people as either good or evil/bad. We tend to believe that the world itself is driven by good forces and evil ones. Since this is a term we often take for granted, it should not be debatable, and all of us should have the same concept about it. Sadly enough that is not true. Societies and culture shape our understanding of evil.

In Omelas there is a child being tortured in a chamber beneath the city in order for the town to celebrate its Summer Festival. In The Lottery, the townsfolk randomly pick someone to kill each year in order to bring in a great harvest. The main character in Sonny’s Blues has been addicted to drugs, went to the army, and been to jail. Majority of people in society look down on these things and they can even be seen as evil by some. All three of these stories show how in order to achieve good, they must partake in evil. Specifically, Le Guin writes “This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.” People in Omelas don’t talk about how evil is a normal part of their society but they still proceed with it in order for the good of everyone. The same thing can be said about the townsfolk of The Lottery. Everyone in the town knows that murdering someone is wrong, but they are willing to partake in the stoning because good will come out of it. The main character in Sonny’s Blues isn’t necessarily partaking in acts of evil, but it is still an example of how in order for someone to achieve good, evil must play a part. If the main character wasn’t exposed to these unimaginable things, one may argue he would still be the bad person he was

The national religion of Japan, Shinto, is definitely a unique religion in many ways. It is one of the few religions that someone cannot convert to. In other words, a person needs to be born into it and grow up with it. And unlike many religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism, Shinto has no known founder. With that said, Shinto also has a unique view of the problem of evil and suffering. For some religions, like Christianity, it is black and white on what they believe about evil. For Shintoism, it is not that clear. Their main desire is to reach harmony, but they do not stress evil or sin or suffering as much as other religions do. Yoshida Kanetomo, a prominent Shinto priest during the 15th century, even bypassed the problem of evil and he took a more optimistic approach. This is a theme in the Shinto religion, even mentioning Shintoism as a happy religion. So how do they address the problem of evil? Shintoism addresses the problem of evil in that they strive to drive out evil in order to reach harmony and a state of purity.

What is good? What is evil? How do they relate to one another? Where did they come from? These are questions nearly everyone has considered at some point in their lifetime. Humans use the terms “good” and “evil” for many things. For instance, one might say “Oh john, how good of you to come by.” Or perhaps you have heard “mom, this pie is very good!” Children will often express the way their day went simply by stating that it was a “good day,” while funeral directors frequently declare that the deceased person was a “good man.” On the contrary, the term “evil” is one of the top phrases used to describe bad guys. But what are good and evil?

Evil can be describes as a thing that is morally bad, causing negative consequences, destruction, hate or harm. Although the basic definition of evil doesn’t portray what evil is truly. It can be known through a lifetime of experiences. Many religions, societies, races and genders perceive evil in myriad ways. (Aznwho, 2005)

First there’s a distinction between two different types of evil; one of them is considered moral. The moral type of evil is the pain inflicted on one another. An example of a moral type of evil would be murder, or another type of event where someone can be held accountable and responsible for the action. Another type of moral evil can be something that is human caused such as lung cancer as result from constant smoking. The second type of evil is considered natural. This means that it pertains to things such as natural disasters and something that humans have nothing or little to do with. Examples of natural evil include, tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis and many more. Natural type of evil is generally seen to be the result of natural

Evil is the violation of a moral code. Evil is the dualistic opposite of good. Evil causes harm. While scattered dictionaries may offer these clear-cut definitions, in reality a theme so prevalent in all spheres of life from the dawn of man takes on limitless forms. The word itself has come to symbolize the dividing line between regular people and callous monsters; demonic criminals who show no sign of compassion and no adherence to virtue. Ideas concerning evil have been strung along through the schools of theology, the minds of society, and the theories of philosophy throughout the history of mankind. The dichotomy between the opposing ideas of good and evil sets apart a gray area ignored by the black and white view of morality. In this

The Book of Job, attempts to address the question: why do bad things happen to good people? This story of pious pessimism revolves around Job, a righteous man who is tested as the result of a wager between God and Satan, in which everything is taken from him. Satan questions whether, if all of Job’s riches and children are taken away from him, will he turn upon his Creator. As one known to be a righteous man and God’s faithful servant, Job initially proclaims his unwavering faith in his God, regardless of his circumstances. Even though Job is stripped of everything he holds dear, he nonetheless holds firm to his faith throughout the ordeals that takes place, confirming his faithful nature and revealing him to be a worthy follower of God. Despite being tested, Job holds fast to his integrity. The Job tradition, as exemplified in the folk tradition found in chapters 1-2, serves as a model of accepting both the good and bad times in our lives, while remaining faithful to God--even though things may not be in line with our desires. From this perspective, every adverse occurrence is a test of one’s loyalty to God and

JAPAN’S NATIVE RELIGION OF SHINTO, WHICH DATES BACK TO PREHISTORIC BELIEF SYSTEMS COMMON TO MANY OF THE EARLIEST HUMAN COMMUNITIES; THE EARLY PHILOSOPHICAL AND ETHICAL IDEAS OF THE GREEKS AND CHINESE – FROM SOCRATES TO CONFUCIUS – THAT CHALLENGED EXISTING IDEAS AND SOCIAL ORDERS OF THE TIME

Good vs evil are common traits often used to characterize something, but what's the meaning of these attributes? Its simple. Good vs evil is effortlessly used to show the contrast of one example to another. For instance, there is the contrast between Goodin and Shapiro. In which Goodin believes one is addicted to a drug, due to the drug itself. Whereas Shapiro believes that one becomes addicted to a drug, because of the social setting that the intake of the drug had occurred at. In other words, Goodin vouches it's the drug that makes one addicted, while Shapiro supports that it's the person, themself,  that makes one addicted to drugs. Between the two, the professor that makes the most logical sense to me is Shapiro, supporting that I overall

One of the best examples of this in Nicholas Sparks novel Safe Haven, “‘Then you should have never have left me,’ he whispered his breath heavy with alcohol. He pulled the trigger and the gun sounded with a loud crack…He felt a burning in his stomach, fire.” (Sparks 360). The novel was about a lady Katie who ran away from her abusive husband and found someone who actually loved her Alex. The good versus evil in this is the people. The evil person is the husband that eventually is killed by gunshot. Then the good is the life that she builds with this family and this is the one that wins. It is common in Sparks’ novels to have a good versus evil plot within people and the person that is perceived as bad typically ends up dead. This is also shown in Sparks’ novel Lucky One, the dad, Keith, was speaking and then the son Ben was speaking, “He could catch his breath only in snatches, and he flailed against the death that he suddenly knew was coming… ‘Where is dad?’ At his words he began to cry.” (Sparks 377, 380). Throughout the novel it is discovered that the dad is an alcoholic, he is verbally abusive to his previous wife, and it is insinuated that he isn’t very involved in his son’s life. The dad in this instance would be considered as the evil and then the new boyfriend would be considered as the good. In the end of the book the dad dies a tragic death and Logan ends up with Beth and her son, Ben. Once again showing that in the end good overcomes evil. Although this isn’t always true it is an exciting

The Chinese concept of Yin and Yang shows how opposite dualities are interconnected and mutually dependant in the natural world. Take the coexistence of good and evil, for example, and you will find that within us all is the source of each.Having the potential to be both good and evil is part of our human nature. As humans we cannot be perfect, because inherent evil is something that will always be part of humanity. Throughout time, a variety of texts and film have been able to give us the greatest insight into who we are today. This universal topic has been observed and contemplated by religions such as Christianity, great philosophers such as Augustine, authors such as William Shakespeare in his play ‘Othello’ and directors such as Christopher Nolan in his film ‘The Dark Knight’. We are able to realize that humanity’s inherent evil is in fact something that lies within all of us. Of course, most individuals are not entirely evil. These different references make us consider the potential for evil, that history has demonstrated, is prevalent in human nature.

What is evil? I believe that evil is the devoid of good intentions. Evil can also corrupt an individual and society and evil can cause suffering. Evil is also wicked that causes harm, crime, misfortune, and in some instances war. Throughout this course I have been able to study evil in eastern religions, Hinduism and Buddhism respectively. There representation of evil is far different than my view of evil was before this class. In this paper, I will discuss the evil ideologies of both religions and then choose which ideology that I prefer.

The broad concepts focus on all the bad state of affairs, wrong doings, wrongful actions or character flaws. The broad sense of evil is further divided into two categories: natural evil and moral evil. Natural evils are defined as “bad state of affairs which do not result from the intentions of negligence of moral agents” (The Concept of Evil). For instance: earthquakes and stomachaches are examples of natural evils. Moral evils are defined as actions result from “the intentions or negligence of moral agents. Killing people and raping young girls are example of moral evils. Evil in general can be seen using theological contexts such as the problem of evil. “The problem of evil is the problem of accounting for evil in a world created by an all powerful, all-knowing, all good God (The Concept of Evil). This often raises the question of is there really an all powerful God, if so why are there evils in the world?

Goodness is often readily apparent in a character’s actions. Evil manifests itself in deceit, often taking the form of its opposite. It is therefore evil which must be more carefully scrutinized in the world’s players, to see how it has tainted those who walk with shrouded steps.