Good and Evil -- two sides of the same coin?

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Just finished reading the Shiva Trilogy by Manish - a publishing sensation in India over the last 3 years. Another highly recommended read. Perhaps a tad difficult for people who are not familiar with hindu names - to follow the different characters.

What I found fascinating about the book  was how the author interweaves  philosophical discussions that are at the heart of hindu mythology and religion into the narrative.

In particular the discussions about the nature of good and evil. Can all evil be banished ? And does  'good' itself generate 'evil' as a by-product?

We now know that  everything considered "progress"  has "side-effects" - antibiotics , nuclear-energy, industrialization, dams , automation , fertilizers - you name it . (And to think this was in the Vedas - a few thousand years BC!)

Continuing in the same vein(ie  there is never a "pure good" without "evil" by-products) -  one has to wonder if the following things we all agree are "good" - have inbuilt bad side-effects?  Does it behoove us to know what they are ?

  • Economic Growth
  • Democratic Principles
  • Equality For All
  • Religion / Faiths
Maybe we should be aware of and make explicit what  the "evil" side-effects are - so we can keep them in check and not let the pursuit of the "good" at all costs -- generate "evil" stuff  that will ultimately consume  us all. Our human brains are not very good at processing  - delayed side effects.

 Shiva  swallowed the poison which was the by-product of the "somras" - the eternal life elixir desired by the gods - so the universe could be saved  !


As one of the hindu chants goes -- "har har Mahadev" - "everyone is a Shiva" ! Perhaps we need to do our part?









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