Is Mario Evil? - The science of Good-versus-Evil

as human beings, we exist on a relatively precise location within whatever scale you choose to discuss

temperature, for instance; too hot and our bodies become ashes - too cold and our bodies are basically chunks of ice

even within these extremes, beyond a certain point, overheating and sunstroke are fatal to every human being that lives, as is hypothermia

so while HOT and COLD exist on a relative scale, they have definite meanings to us

the relativity of these meanings exists, yes,

what is HOT to a cactus or a comet and what is COLD a polar bear or an ice burg

but, while i agree that everything you say about the "is-ness" of things is true, and i agree that this offers and important insight and perspective, i have to say that at the immediate or the functional level, what COLD may "mean" to an ice burg, or what EVIL may mean to a rock, are irrelevant to us, because we are humans, and we have to participate with the world AS humans

and, as humans, we have parameters which we cannot exceed

a bit of a definition of EVIL has been presented here in the discussion -

Adder wrote: ....presumes the definition of evil is something like ---- actions to increase or create suffering.....

now, i think that as it is stated here this is not exactly perfect, but it gives a good place to begin

by THIS definition, we can definitely say that evil exists - and that we can co-exist with it but only until it exceeds the maximum parameters of our tolerance

and we can further see that once that tolerance is exceeded, we end up just as dead as if we were cooked by the sun (or thrown into an oven, or incinerated by a nuclear attack, or gunned down in a genocidal rampage)

I think it would be safe to say evil isn't only pushing people out of their tolerance range to the point they die, it is also pushing them out of their tolerance range to the point where it inflicts great pain (such as torture).

I thought this was a very interesting thread and wanted to attempt to address the question by taking from the Jedi Code. There is no Chaos; Only Harmony. While Good and Evil is a very broad term and all things tend to fall more in a gray area, I feel Good is the constant attempt to live in harmony with all things and ones quest to rise everyone else up to their full potential. Evil strives to only improve the self by feeding off of others and creates chaos for the enjoyment of seeing others suffer. Good obtains power through wisdom and wields it for the benefit of all, sometimes at a high cost to themselves. Evil obtains power through deceit or force and wields it to keep power or to gain more.

Love the discussion!

Anubis is spot on. I definitely agree that the most trustworthy people are the those who realize that they themselves aren't all-good and have the capacity to do evil, but commit to the path of good anyways. Just like with the Jedi it is always possible to fall to the Dark side and it is possible for any of us to fall. In Knights of the Old Republic, Jedi Master Vrook said "The lure of the dark side is difficult to resist" which is a quote I always have in my mind because of how true it is. That just makes our path towards the Light all that more interesting.

ive heard that as high as one in every three germans acted as an informer at least once during the nazi reign

that sort of information does not convince me that germans are especially untrustworthy, but that human beings in general, us, have a much greater capacity to be vicious and cowardly and low than we would like to admit

i think its important to understand, each of us individually, how really terrible we ourselves, as individuals, can be

understanding this potential at the personal level, maybe
MAYBE
will keep us honest and awake enough that we dont slip into our worst possible selves under the pressures of life

it also maybe helps inform us about the value of forgiveness, amends, and redemption

OB1Shinobi wrote: that sort of information does not convince me that germans are especially untrustworthy, but that human beings in general, us, have a much greater capacity to be vicious and cowardly and low than we would like to admit

I don't even blame the Germans for it. I would say most of them acted out of fear. I think the Dutch was the only example in which there was a nation-wide resistance to Nazi rule. For Germans and others, what happened was that the Nazis would pick a part particular groups at time and people were heartless to be like "Well it isn't me!" This is perfectly represented in the poem by Martin Niemoller that you might have heard:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

This was especially true of the Germans. Their inaction against evil lead to their downfall. They themselves weren't necessarily evil, but their apathy led to evil taking over. This is something we Jedi ought to take in mind: "Jedi are aware of the future impacts of action and inaction and of the influence of the past".

Hey everyone,

In reading your posts, it got me thinking - and I would like to comment:

I believe humans tend to be obsessive and it is part of our success as a species, but we should remember to balance ourselves. We should be balanced and balance our opinions and allow others to do the same.

Anyway you shouldn't label or look down on people and judge them and their flaws. That kind of focus will make you seem negative and displeasing to others. Unless your actually there helping them back on their feet and helping them heal and become better. Then that type of 'constructive criticism' is one tool that is really helpful to help them grow and understand the way of wrong doing or evil.

In my opinion your focus as a Jedi isn't in changing the world that is important. Instead your focus it should serve in shaping your own character, choosing your own focus comes with wisdom. Your focus should always be there to help 'you' improve. Focusing yourself on your daily rituals such as eating, meditation, hygiene, self care and improving relationships will give your day structure and you should focus on being balanced in everything you do so that you can be healthy of mind.

Healing evil people can be difficult and you could become like them in the process of helping them. Because insanity and evil are very infectious and spread like wildfire to the weak minded. If you focus on healing the world it shouldn't be a vendetta against the world. We are all flawed.

In the case of Mario being 'evil' the video addressed a problem that he 'expected' a reward for his actions. That is not truly benevolent his heroism was self serving and a life being cannot escape that self serving attitude. We are compelled by divine instructions that we must serve our own needs. But that attitude isn't evil or good it is neutral. In terms of Mario receiving princess toadstool as his gift for his bravery does disrespect her and women in general but again that isn't evil unless mario forced her violently to be his woman.

Yet it is how we serve ourselves, which should be done with dignity and grace with respect to the sensitivities of other people, nations and cultures. When evil or tyranny exists no one can serve themselves peacefully.



Peace and Blessings
Love & Light

Ariane wrote: Hey everyone,

In reading your posts, it got me thinking - and I would like to comment:

I believe humans tend to be obsessive and it is part of our success as a species, but we should remember to balance ourselves. We should be balanced and balance our opinions and allow others to do the same.

Anyway you shouldn't label or look down on people and judge them and their flaws. That kind of focus will make you seem negative and displeasing to others. Unless your actually there helping them back on their feet and helping them heal and become better. Then that type of 'constructive criticism' is one tool that is really helpful to help them grow and understand the way of wrong doing or evil.

In my opinion your focus as a Jedi isn't in changing the world that is important. Instead your focus it should serve in shaping your own character, choosing your own focus comes with wisdom. Your focus should always be there to help 'you' improve. Focusing yourself on your daily rituals such as eating, meditation, hygiene, self care and improving relationships will give your day structure and you should focus on being balanced in everything you do so that you can be healthy of mind.

Healing evil people can be difficult and you could become like them in the process of helping them. Because insanity and evil are very infectious and spread like wildfire to the weak minded. If you focus on healing the world it shouldn't be a vendetta against the world. We are all flawed.

In the case of Mario being 'evil' the video addressed a problem that he 'expected' a reward for his actions. That is not truly benevolent his heroism was self serving and a life being cannot escape that self serving attitude. We are compelled by divine instructions that we must serve our own needs. But that attitude isn't evil or good it is neutral. In terms of Mario receiving princess toadstool as his gift for his bravery does disrespect her and women in general but again that isn't evil unless mario forced her violently to be his woman.

Yet it is how we serve ourselves, which should be done with dignity and grace with respect to the sensitivities of other people, nations and cultures. When evil or tyranny exists no one can serve themselves peacefully.



Peace and Blessings
Love & Light

Well said
And i tend to agree with you

Competent wrote: Coming from a few of my favorite YouTube channels, VSauce, is the video "Is Mario Evil?"
It explores the idea that the fantasy character Mario is actually in fact, evil. With this they explore the idea of what truly is evil.

I find this video very fascinating on many different levels.
Video
Feel free to give you thoughts, and if you have material to share on the subject, feel free.

Quite an amusing question lol.

One person's evil is another person's victory?