Come to the Dark Side, Luke - Isabel Jenkins

There is no human in this world who is unconditionally good. There is no human in this world who is unconditionally evil. "Good" and "evil" are words that don't describe people as a whole, but instead constitute traits found within all of us in varying degrees. It is up to us and our choices to decide which side we want to favor - all of us have the potential to show kindness to others, but even the best of us could easily slip into corrupt tendencies.

But what is "good" and "evil?" Do we even have any idea? Stories describing the constant struggle between forces of "ultimate good" and "ultimate evil" just aren't realistic. Think about the people in your own life. Is there a clear-cut villainous character? If you asked a film or book protagonist, they would likely have a quick answer. But I don't. If I sorted my acquaintances by their moral standards, it would be evident that some are more or less "good" than others. But is there any one human who is the epitome of evil? So swallowed by the darkness that there was never even a sliver of light within them?

On the other hand, imagine asking a film or book antagonist who they consider to be the villains. As an audience, we've been primed to believe that the protagonist's view of the enemy is the correct one. But even the so-called evil figures of our past likely thought they were doing good deeds. What if we've just lost perspective? What is good, what is evil?

Those words are too extreme, too all-encompassing. They should be left to the fairytales.