On Earth and in the Universe as a whole, there is this concept of good and evil. But what is good? What is evil? How does one distinguish between the two? In the face of evil, what does one do? What about good? Why is it so important to have one or the other?
First and foremost, what is the definition of good and evil? Good is defined by www.dictionary.com as the following:
morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious: a good man.
satisfactory in quality, quantity, or degree: a good teacher, good health.
Evil is defined by www.dictionary.com as the following:
morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked: evil deeds; an evil life.
harmful; injurious: evil laws.
So now that good and evil are defined, one must look at the inner workings of each. First off, in both cases there is a moral dilemma. What is morality? Who decides what is right and what is wrong? It is acceptable in Middle Eastern nations to have homosexual relations for pleasure, while in America it is frowned upon with the utmost scorn. In China, a man and a woman must have government consent to have more than one child, while in America a couple may have as many children as they please.
As another example, take the U.S. during the Civil War. The North believed it to be evil to have slaves, while the South believed it was good to have slaves. Now the question one must ask himself is, “Who determines what is good and what is evil?” Is it a geographic thing, (when in Rome do as the Romans do) or is it simply the victor of a conflict. Was America righteous and virtuous for bombing Nagasaki and Hiroshima or forcing Native Americans onto reservations, while they pillaged the plains of buffalo?
The point to be made here is that good and evil do not exist. People, places, and things happen to bring balance to the planet and the Universe. A lot of human beings died in World War II, however, the ones who returned gave birth to the “baby boomers”. Note that the second definition of evil is harmful. War is harmful, an illness is harmful, yet an effect of this is the birth of a new generation. Is a Black hole “evil” for devouring an entire solar system? Good and evil do not exist, just simple cause and effect.
Now that good and evil have been defined and shown to not exist, the question becomes what does one do? Should one commit a harmful cause or a harmless cause? Should one free slaves or enslave the weak? Should one destroy an entire city or build one? That is up to the individual. There will always be another “villain” to enslave the weak.
As Jedi, we are dedicated to being the “hero” in the equation. But as a caution, how does one know they are doing the right thing? For example, supposing there is a drug dealer on the street. He is caught by the police and given jail time. But what were his reasons, his causes? Were they just to get dirty money easy, or were they to feed his family in a grueling economy? When he is jailed, what will happen to his wife and kids? So what is the thing to do?
If every moment is a dangerous balancing act, where a single individual could topple an entire community, how does one know what to do? There is no black and white answer; the world is many shades of grey. The only thing one can do is follow their instincts, trust their feelings on the matter, and realize that the Force itself will bring balance.