I was originally going to place these themes on separate pages but I think they are best defined in contrast to each other. For awhile I thought that there was no evil, merely absence of goodness, but the more I thought about it, the less accurate this seemed. What is good is in balance, it contributes to the health not only of the individual, but to the world at large. Goodness does not impose itself on to the soul or on to others. It is aligned with nature, and virtues like honesty, patience, kindness, forgiveness, and gratitude. Evil, then, is not neutral. Neutrality is a state of stasis that can exist within either plane, good or evil. Evil stems from desire. It is selfish, dishonest, and hostile. It assumes that the will of an individual is more worthy of worship than the energetic network at large. Acts of evil, small and large alike, throw the entire system out of balance.
Goodness flows, evil forces. Goodness loves, evil hates.
Good and evil are the central duality of the human story. The push and pull of these forces sits at the heart of our religions and histories and lives. The universality of their dichotomy is what allows our art to transcend time and space.