For as long as humans have had the capacity to speak, we have most certainly labeled things Good and Evil. We do this in an effort to protect ourselves, to protect the ones we love. We try to help others to stay away from the things that may have harmed us in the past. Yet, somehow two different groups of people can label the same both Good and Evil.
How can this be?
Well in truth, Good and Evil are concepts that exist only in the mind of humans. God, Source, Great Spirit, labels nothing in our world as Good or Evil. All things are God and God is all things, therefore all things simply are.
In order to understand this more clearly, I reach to the teachings of the Sacred Mayan Calendar, in which the 18th archetype, Tijax (Tee-hash), is represented by an Obsidian Knife. Obsidian, a type of volcanic glass common in the Mayan lands, was chipped to form arrowheads, knives, and even mirrors (perfect for shadow-work and self-reflection). These knives were used in almost all aspects of life, but for our purposes let's look at two common uses: healing and killing.
These blades were set on spears, attached to clubs, and turned into knives. They were used by Mayan warriors to wage war between neighboring city-states. Eventually, when the Mayans turned to blood sacrifice, they were used to cut open and drain the blood of the sacrificial victims. These blades became weapons that spilled the blood of many humans, so one could certainly label these as evil, right?
Well let's look at the other side: medicine. These blades were used remove infections, drain fluid from sores, and possibly even to amputate infected limbs. All of these examples can seem quite gruesome, and yet can we label any of these actions evil?
You see we can only label a tool good or evil from a specific perspective. Would a warrior in combat not label a knife good? Would a healer not label a blade used to help a patient good?
The tool itself cannot be good nor evil, it is simply a tool. It all has to do with the person wielding the tool. A knife could be used to threaten someone in order to steal their money, or the same knife could be used to defend a victim from a thief.
So when it comes to our world, it is best not to define instruments as good or evil, simply because we don't like the way they are used.
Are smartphones evil because they so easily distract us and rob our attention?
Are cars evil because of car accidents?
Are guns evil because they can be used to murder?
We can use a knife to stab someone or to mince carrots for a soup. That knife can be used to kill someone in battle, or to remove a cancerous tumor in surgery.
Remember, God is not a judge, and we are not here to judge. God is a creator, and we are here to create. Just don't forget that sometimes creation requires destruction, removal, subtraction. Would sculpture be able to sculpt without 'destroying' the block of marble he or she works with?
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