The Root of All Evil

Original sin.  Self-interest.  Money.  Satan.  Hearts of Darkness.  There are a few things attributed as being evil's source, but they all trace back to mankind.  "They're only as good as the world allows them to be," says the Joker in The Dark Knight, "You'll see.  When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other."

Or there's Simon in Lord of the Flies.  The children of the novel, stranded on an island, start believing in  a monstrous beast that lives out in the jungle.  But Simon asks, What if the beast is us?  And sure enough every bad thing that happens in the novel is caused by the children themselves.  Simon has a fantastic (in the literary sense) conversation with a representative of this beast, who says, "You knew, didn't you?  I'm part of you?  Close, close, close!  I'm the reason why it's no go?  Why things are what they are?"

I do believe that evil comes from mankind.  However, does that make mankind evil?  I do not believe so.  Mankind produces evil, but we produce good too.  After all, the people stuck on the ferries in The Dark Knight choose to risk their own lives rather than sacrifice the lives of others.  And there are characters in Lord of the Flies that try to act for the common good even when it isn't fashionable and even when ridiculed, betrayed, and abandoned by others.

There are people who have children and abandon them.  But there are also people who devote the better part of their lives to raising their children.  And there are people with no children of their own who still try to teach and improve the children of others.  There are people who will kill for 100 dollars.  But there are also people who save lives for 100 dollars or sometimes more or sometimes less or sometimes nothing at all.  There are people who use other people like objects... to be disposed of as soon as they're no longer useful.  But there are others who make an effort to show love every day to those they care about.  And there are people who try to love those they don't even know.

We are not inherently good or bad.  It is a choice we make.  And sure, there are many circumstances out of the individual's control (poverty, international relations, natural disaster, tragic accidents, and the positive or negative actions of those around us) that might influence how a person acts, but when it comes down to it we all have a choice to do good or to do evil.  Some do good.  Some do evil.  Most do a bit of both.  But no matter how hard or easy life may seem, there is always a choice.