Human beings are the most complex and unpredictable creatures on the Earth. The human instinct is dominated by survival, curiosity and the quest to explore. The concept of good and evil are relative as both are subjective. There is a popular saying that one man’s food is a poison to another man. (Smith 43) Thus, what one regards as good may be seen by another as bad. A child is born innocent and they have no knowledge of good or bad, but the child is exposed to the society and the environment as they grow. The mind is constructed based on the observation of the child. That is why I would say that by nature we are born with no knowledge of good or evil, therefore we are at liberty to choose what to become in the future.
There is a popular saying, “show me your friend and I will tell you who you are” (Taylor). Your friend in this sense can be the persons you are associated with or the kind of environment that surrounds you. The surrounding environment is affecting your behavior. If you live in an environment where harmony and peace is a code of conduct uphold with all, you will be influenced by this code of conduct by living a harmonious life. The child who grew up and live in a war and hostile ground do not know what love is as they have not experienced love themselves. Hostility becomes a normal thing to them and they begin to practice it. Confucianism relies on the doctrine that human beings are fundamentally good, teachable and improvable. This means that the worst human being can be improved to be a good human being. This is in line with what the earlier statement that says human nature drives by situations.
Works Cited
eiSmith, Huston. The World's Religions. New York: HarperOne, 1991. Print.
Taylor, Steve. "The Real Meaning Of 'Good' And 'Evil'". Psychology Today. N.p., 2013. Web. 21 May 2016.
