GOOD AND EVIL

A Reference Manual & User's Guide
 
(by: Ivan Q.   2016) (Rev. 2.1)
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS (with Links)

SECTION I  (About Evil)

1.1  INTRODUCTION
1.2  DEFINITION OF EVIL
1.3  EVIL GENERATORS (EGs)
   1.3.1  GREED (AVARICE)
   1.3.2  LUST
   1.3.3  ARROGANCE (VANITY)
   1.3.4  DELUSION
   1.3.5  HATE
   1.3.6 ANGER
   1.3.7  IGNORANCE
   1.3.8  RAGE
   1.3.9  ENVY
   1.3.10  ADDICTION
   1.3.11  ABUSE
   1.3.12  SELFISHNESS
   1.3.13  DISHONESTY
   1.3.14  FEAR
   1.3.15  BIGOTRY
   1.3.16  RACISM

1.4  TYPES OF EVIL ACTS
   1.4.1  MALICIOUS EVILS
   1.4.2  ACCIDENTAL EVILS
   1.4.3  NECESSARY EVILS
1.5  EVIL CHAIN REACTIONS
1.6  IMPORTANCE OF AVOIDING EVIL
1.7  CONSEQUENCES OF DOING EVIL


SECTION II  (Divine Goodness)

2.1  INTRODUCTION TO SECTION II
2.2   GOODNESS GENERATORS (GGs)
   2.2.1  PATIENCE
   2.2.2  TOLERANCE
   2.2.3  FORGIVENESS
   2.2.4  ALTRUISM
   2.2.5  GENEROSITY
   2.2.6  HONESTY
   2.2.7  LOVE
   2.2.8  EMPATHY
   2.2.9  SYMPATHY
   2.1.10  COMPASSION
   2.2.11  UNDERSTANDING
   2.2.12  GRATITUDE
   2.2.13  SERENITY
   2.2.14  COURAGE
   2.2.15  WISDOM
2.3  THE IMPORTANCE AND REWARDS OF DOING GOOD

 

SECTION I   (About Evil)          
                                                                                                                                             

1.1  INTRODUCTION TO SECTION I

Having an Engineering background, it is easier for me to treat this subject in a scientific manner, using a combination of logical reasoning, common sense and some mystic or divine inspiration. I do acknowledge that normally this subject is in the realm of Philosophy or Theology, and not Engineering. However, I believe that a College degree in Philosophy is not a requirement for anyone to philosophize about Good and Evil. And, in my opinion, religions don't seem to have done a good job at providing us with a reference manual (or book) that clearly defines (in a few pages) the evilness or divinity of certain human behavior. I believe that such a book should be brief, logical, and reasonable. There is no need to fill the book with unbelievable and unverifiable tales that defies the laws of physics, such as flying horses, persons moving mountains, talking burning bushes, large masses of water being manipulated by magic or telekinesis, etc. Such unbelievable and unverifiable tales, are not necessary to define or discuss good and evil.

This manual, if understood by the reader, should help the reader decide if an act, that he or she might be tempted to commit, is evil and might have evil consequences. Also, by becoming aware of the evil generators, the reader might be able to avoid the emotions or states of mind that can motivate humans into doing evil acts.

I am not preaching any religion, nor the moral ideas of any culture in particular.

I believe that humanity and nature will benefit if more people could have a better understanding of good and evil, and if they are able (on their own) to determine if something they are about to do is good or evil, independent of any religion or cult they might practice, believe, or have been indoctrinated into.

The way I treat the subject of good and evil, is different from the way some religions deal with it. The main difference is that some religions assume that you are not very intelligent and they would like you to "not think", and just do what they tell you to do, or not do what they tell you not to do. I, on the other hand, "expect you to think" about the motives and consequences of any act that you might commit. Because the "evilness" or "goodness" of most acts, depends on the motives and consequences more than on the act itself. Most religions try to define specific acts as good or evil, without considering the motives or consequences. For example, most religions believe that killing is wrong. However, they kill and/or torture individuals for political reasons, or to maintain their political power. They even justify the killing of innocent women and children, of their own religion, as collateral damage, when they explode bombs in public places. Some religions fear science, because science shows us the truth and makes us less gullible, and less likely to believe the physically impossible and mythical stories told in their religious texts. Some religious leaders are more interested in power and money, than in teaching about good and evil.

There will be times in your life when you will have to decide if something you are about to do is good or evil. I hope that after reading this manual you will be better able to make decisions regarding good and evil.

If you are insensitive and can not “feel” the evil of an act or emotion, or if you do not believe in God, The Force, or some other deity. That does not mean that there is no evil. If I define evil as something, and that something exist, then evil exist by definition, irregardless of the existence or nonexistence of God or any other deity. Even pure materialist, non spiritualist and existentialist should understand the importance of knowing about good and evil. Of course, there are always exceptions. Sadistic psychopaths (and sociopaths) don't worry too much about good and evil.

I believe that if the Divine Force where to give us a single commandment to obey, it would be: "Thou shall not do evil". However, that would require us to know what evil is, and how to avoid it. And that is what I intent to do in this manual.

1.2  DEFINITION OF EVIL

A definition of evil is essential to be able to communicate any ideas or principles regarding evil. You can look up the dictionary definitions, if you desire. However, I believe those definitions are too simple and biased by our culture and religion. Let me define evil from a Universal frame of reference and Nature's frame of reference and not just as a human morality or ethical issue. Also, notice that I differentiate between the evil that is done and the evil that is felt.

An "Evil Act", as defined and used in this manual, is something that is “done” (executed) by an intelligent life form, and causes the physical and/or emotional harm and/or suffering of another intelligent life form. The life form can be any animal that has a brain and therefore is capable of feeling pain and suffering. And if the life form is human, then "financial harm" must also be consider, since financial harm can cause emotional suffering.

An "Evil Emotion" is a strong feeling or state of mind that tempt us, or motivates us, to commit an evil act. Some examples of such evil emotions (or states of mind) are; hate, anger, lust, delusion, and ignorance. These evil emotions can be considered Evil Generators.

Good is usually considered to be the opposite of evil. However, good is also considered to be the opposite of bad. And evil, as I just defined it, is not the same as bad. Also, good and bad can be used to describe the quality of an object. Such as a “bad pen” if that pen does not always write (skips) or if the pen leaks ink. Or we might say “It's a good knife”, if the knife is sharp, cuts well, it's easy to clean, etc. But there is no such thing as an “evil knife”. A knife or a gun can be used to commit an evil act, but they can also be used to commit a good act (or a necessary evil). Therefore, we must never label or consider inanimate objects as evil.



1.3  EVIL GENERATORS (EGs)

There are certain human qualities, emotions, state of mind, or behavior that can become catalysts or motivators of evil acts or evil chain reactions. These evil chain reactions usually cause or "generate" more evil emotions and/or evil acts. I call these evil emotions or states of mind, "Evil Generators" (EGs).

Some religions have different names for these EGs, they call them "Roots of Evil", or "Poisons", or "Deadly Sins". For example, in one branch of Buddhism they call them the Five Poisons: Ignorance, Attachment (Desire), Aversion (Anger/Hate), Pride (Arrogance), and Envy. In Christianity they call them the Seven Deadly Sins: Lust, Greed (Avarice), Gluttony, Wrath (Rage), Envy, Pride, Sloth.

I don't quite agree with the groupings selected by Christianity or Buddhism. Instead, I am defining fifteen "main" Evil Generators. Roots of Evil would be a more "poetic" name, but I prefer to use the more  "descriptive" name of generators, since they can generate other evil emotions or evil acts.

The EGs I describe in this manual are: greed, lust, arrogance, delusion, hate, anger, ignorance, rage, envy, addiction, abuse, selfishness, dishonesty, bigotry, and racism. However, these are not the only ones that exist. But they are, in my opinion, the ones that generate the most evil. And I am including fear, although fear is not really an EG, but it can be a trigger to a few EGs.

Because these evil generators are emotions that we feel (generate in our minds), we should be able to control and/or manage them, so that they will not lead us to commit an evil act.

1.3.1  GREED (AVARICE)
Greed and avarice are insatiable and excessive desire to acquire a lot more material wealth than we need or deserve. We could also say that greed is a lust for wealth.

1.3.2  LUST
I define lust as an excessive, or very strong desire, for something that we believe will give us pleasure or make us happy (such as sex, power, or narcotics), ignoring the virtues of moderation and self control. In fact, we can say that addicts have a lust for whatever substance or habit they are addicted to. And gluttony can be described as an uncontrollable lust or craving for food, leading to substance abuse.

1.3.3  ARROGANCE (VANITY)
Arrogance and vanity are excessive pride without humility. It is when love or likeness for one's self is perverted into hate for others. The church considers pride a deadly sin. I do not consider pride an EG. I believe that there is nothing wrong with being proud about our behavior and/or accomplishments in school, at work, or in sports. Nor is it wrong to be proud of the accomplishment of a friend or family member. But we should not let our pride turn into vanity or arrogance.

1.3.4  DELUSION
A delusion is an erroneous (or false) belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary. Notice that the Catholic church does not include delusion or ignorance in the "deadly sins". That is probably because history has proven that they sometimes choose delusion and ignorance over science and the truth. Example of this: Galileo, Copernicus, Giordano Bruno, Darwin.

1.3.5  HATE
Hate is defined as the emotion
of intense  dislike or ill will toward a person or thing. Sometimes, avoiding persons or things we dislike, we are able to inhibit the formation of hate. We should not escalate a dislike into hate, since hate can generate anger or rage, and that can lead to violence.

1.3.6  ANGER
It seems that animals (thru evolution (or divine design)) have developed anger as a defense mechanism, it prepares their brain, cardiovascular system and muscles, for a quick escape or to confront a predator that might want to eat them. However, "civilized  homo sapiens" (that's us) rarely need this mechanism and should reserve it for those rare instances when intelligence and civilized behavior fails us. We should learn to manage or control our anger so that it does not turn into rage.


1.3.7  IGNORANCE

Ignorance
is defined as the lack of knowledge, education, or experience. However, it is sometimes used to indicate delusion. For example, we sometimes say that someone is ignorant because they ignore (disregard, refuse to acknowledge, or pay no attention to) a proven fact, a common knowledge, or something that is obvious.

1.3.8  RAGE
Rage is defined as a feeling of intense or extreme anger. This emotion and state of mind, increases the levels of certain chemicals and hormones in our brain and blood, such as cortisol, epinephrine, estrogen, testosterone, serotonin and dopamine. Some of these chemicals are addictive and detrimental to our well being in high levels. So we can assume that people who get angry frequently, have become addicted to some of these chemicals (such as dopamine, that is also released when we use some narcotics such as cocaine). In the emotional state of rage, we are more likely to follow animal instincts instead of logic and reasoning. Therefore, rage can lead to unreasonable and illogical violence (evil acts).

1.3.9  ENVY
Envy is a feeling of grudging admiration, spite, and resentment towards someone who has some material possessions, fame, or success, that we might like to have. Jealousy is a form of envy, usually a resentful suspicion and envy triggered by rivalry or suspected romantic misbehavior. Jealousy can trigger other EGs, such as anger or rage.

1.3.10  ADDICTION
Addiction is an abnormally strong craving. Addictions can be psychological and/or physical. The most common addictions (and usually the most harmful) are caused by narcotics such as nicotine, alcohol, opiates (heroin, morphine), cocaine, amphetamines, barbiturates, etc. However, any chemical or habit that makes us feel good, or changes our state of mind, can be addictive. Addiction to narcotics can lead to substance abuse, and substance abuse can kill (via over dose), or cause serious health and/or mental problems. Addiction to non-narcotics like sugar, high fructose corn syrup and saturated fats, can also lead to substance abuse and create obesity and/or diabetes and/or cardiovascular problems.
 
1.3.11  ABUSE
Abuse is when we do or use something wrongly, improperly, or excessively. Personal abuse can be physical or verbal, toward one or more persons (or animals). Verbal abuse does not cause physical harm. However it can cause emotional and/or psychological harm. Abuse is usually triggered by one of the other EGs such as lust, hate, rage, ignorance, or addiction. Substance abuse is usually self inflicted. However, if the substance being abused is a narcotic (legal or illegal) that usually decreases the mental abilities of the abuser, then the abuser will be more vulnerable to the other EGs. The christian deadly sin of gluttony is a form of substance abuse, where the substance happens to be food.

1.3.12  SELFISHNESS
Selfishness is a form of stinginess resulting from a concern for your own welfare and a disregard for the welfare of others. This seems similar to greed, but it's not the same. In fact, some greedy tycoons are philanthropists, and therefore not selfish, just greedy. A good example of evil caused by a combination of selfishness and greed has being made recently
by some pharmaceutical companies. They have been making "Portfolio Management Decisions"  out of greed and selfishness, ignoring the suffering that their decisions will cause in the near and far future, and ignoring (or not being aware) that some of those who will suffer could be some of their family members, or themselves.

1.3.13  DISHONESTY
Dishonesty can be generated by greed, selfishness, ignorance, lust, or other EGs. However, dishonesty can in turn generate a lot of different evils such as: infidelity, deceit, treachery, crookedness, corruption, cheating, stealing, lying, fraud, perjury, treason, deception, hypocrisy, etc. Dishonest persons can not be trusted.

1.3.14  FEAR
Fear is not necessarily an evil emotion. In fact, fear can sometimes provide a warning or defense mechanism. Fear of something dangerous can sometimes prevent evil (and harmful) things from happening. However, fear of the unknown or things we don't understand can trigger an EG such as delusion, ignorance, or hate. Fear can sometimes escalate into panic, and panic can lead to irrational behavior.

1.3.15 BIGOTRY
Bigotry is the intolerance, of a prejudice person, to accept or consider any opinion that is different from his own. Bigotry can turn a friendly argument, or discussion, into a quarrel. 

1.3.16  RACISM
Racism is the prejudice of member of one race, who believe that they are superior to members of a different race. Racism can be a trigger for other EGs, such as hate.

1.4  TYPES OF EVIL ACTS

I classify evils acts as three main types;

Malicious Evils, Accidental Evils, and Necessary Evils.

1.4.1  MALICIOUS EVILS
When an evil act is done with malice, I call it a malicious evil. This is the worst type of evil act. It is the type of act that has no reasonable justification. Some of the motivators or catalyst to such acts are usually one or more of the EGs. They can be considered minor if they cause only minor emotional harm, such as lying on purpose, knowing that it will hurt someone emotionally. Or more serious, such as malicious physical or verbal abuse. Or they could be major evil events such as premeditated murder, violent rapes, physical torture, or setting an innocent person or animal on fire.

1.4.2  ACCIDENTAL EVILS
I define accidental evils as events where a human (or animal) was hurt or killed because of an accident, but that accident could have been prevented if the person who caused the accident had not been negligent due to one or more of the EGs (i.e. ignorance, delusion, greed, substance abuse).

For example: If you do NOT know that your driving abilities are impaired by alcohol or cell phone texting, you are being delusional and ignorant. Therefore, if you drive while under the influence of alcohol, or while texting, and then get into an accident where someone gets hurt. You have committed an accidental evil (motivated by two of the EGs; delusion and ignorance).

There are accidents where there is NO evil involved. Such as those caused by mechanical failures, material defects, weather conditions, etc. However, if the mechanical failure was caused by a defect hidden by the "greed" of the manufacturer, then the manufacturer is guilty of an accidental evil.

1.4.3  NECESSARY EVILS
I define necessary evils as those evil acts committed in order to prevent a "greater evil" from happening. This is the most difficult evil to understand, because sometimes what seems like a necessary evil is actually an unnecessary evil. Again, some examples are possibly the best way to clarify the issue.

Self defense is a necessary evil. When we are physically attacked, we are justified in hurting the attacker, because survival is an animal instinct and a legal right. However, we should show restrain, if possible, by not using excessive force.

War is considered, by some, as a necessary evil. However, I think that is not always true. I see some wars as necessary evils and justified, but not all wars are necessary. As always, we have to consider the motives and consequences before we can judge the evilness of a particular war. Within wars, in all the armies, there are always certain evil individuals who see it as an opportunity to do evil things (rape, murder by friendly fire, unnecessary torture, profiteering, etc). And there are some individuals (heroes) who see it as an opportunity to do heroic things and save or protect the life of others. Some see war as a way to reduce the population (thinning the herd). And some see war as a money making opportunity (fueled by the EGs of greed and selfishness). If a war is caused by one of the EGs, then it is probably a malicious evil, and not a necessary evil.

Another good example is the killing of animals. If we do it for our survival, or to end the suffering of an injured animal that we can not cure, or if we do it to thin an over populated herd, then it's a necessary evil and can be justified. However, if the killing is motivated by one of the EGs (i.e. The vanity or selfishness of a hunter, or the greed of a poacher) then it is NOT a necessary evil, instead it is a malicious evil.

1.5  EVIL CHAIN REACTIONS
Evil chain reactions occur when someone, motivated by one of the EGs, affects the emotions or state of mind of another person, motivating them to become more likely to commit an evil act, or become the catalyst or motivator for the evil act of someone else.

For example: We might become frustrated when trying to communicate with someone that we believe is being ignorant, stubborn or delusional. That frustration might irritate or anger us, these feelings can sometime create aggression or hate, if not toward the person frustrating us, then toward someone else later (displaced aggression). This aggression can take the form of verbal or physical abuse (an evil act). In the case of displaced aggression, the verbal (or physical) abuse could happen much later, against someone that had nothing to do with the cause of the frustration or anger, an innocent person that we love (or at least not hate).

So it seems that evil feelings and emotions can act as catalysts to generate or maintain sequences of events or emotions that eventually can terminate in an evil act. The above example can be "equated" the following way (using the arrow symbol (--->) to indicate "yield" or "generates"):

   Delusion, Ignorance, or lack of patience ---> frustration ---> anger or hate ---> aggression ---> physical or verbal abuse.

Examples of other possible evil chain reactions, or sequences:

   Lust ---> Infidelity (or adultery) ---> Conflict ---> Possible violence and/or divorce.
   Lust ---> Seduction of a minor, or sexual assault, or rape.
   Ignorance/Delusion ---> Drunk driving ---> Vehicular manslaughter.
   Ignorance/Delusion ---> Smoking ---> Cancer, Emphysema, other health problems.
   Addiction/Ignorance/Delusion ---> Substance abuse ---> Health and financial problems.
   Arrogance/Vanity ---> Racism ---> Hate ---> Verbal or physical abuse ---> Violence.
   Envy ---> Hate ---> Verbal abuse.
   Greed ---> Fraud/Racketeering.
   Greed ---> Corporate raiding, Tax evasion.
   Delusion/Ignorance ---> Fear ---> Hate or Rage ---> Aggression.
   Greed ---> Instigating wars or conflicts for personal gain.
   Arrogance/Ignorance ---> Unjust discrimination.
   Substance Abuse ---> Gluttony ---> Obesity ---> Health problems.
   Greed ---> Violations of the Hippocratic Oath.
   Greed ---> Manufacturing drugs that treat symptoms, but do not cure, when cures are  known and available.
   Delusion ---> Religious intolerance of science ---> Ignorance ---> Persecution and/or unjust punishment.
   Greed ---> Selfishness ---> Financial abuse (by businessmen or government).
   Ignorance/Delusion ---> Misinterpretation of religious texts ---> Violence against innocent victims.

I could go on and on, but I don't believe it is necessary. These are plenty of examples of how the EGs can create an evil escalation (sequence of events that can terminate in evil acts that can cause harm and suffering). These are very simple equated examples, in reality, evil chain reactions can involve dozen of steps involving many individuals, and can branch into several independent chains of events.

Sometimes we can stop these reactions from taking place by controlling some of our evil emotions or evil feelings. That is why through evolution (or divine design) we have developed empathy, compassion, understanding, tolerance, patience, and other divine emotions that help us to counteract the evil ones. I explain the divine emotions in Section II of this manual.

1.6  IMPORTANCE OF AVOIDING EVIL

No one can prove the existence of Heaven or Hell. But we can make this world resemble our idea of heaven if we decrease evil acts. Or we can make this world resemble hell if we increase evil acts. So don't put the burden on God. It is up to us to reduce or eliminate evil. That is why I believe that it is so important that we understand evil and try to avoid it. There are no demons or angels with wings that will come to hurt or protect us. We are the angels and the demons of the real world.

It's not that complicated. Example: "If no one ever steals, then nothing will ever be stolen from you or anyone else". That statement is logically true and valid. However, if you are homeless and hungry, and you steal some food, I will not blame you. In fact I will not consider that an evil act, just an act of survival. However, if you are economically well (or perhaps even rich) and you steal (out of greed, or to support an addiction you can not afford), even if you did not break any law because you did it trough improper stock manipulations or corporate raiding, "you are doing evil".

1.7  CONSEQUENCES OF DOING EVIL

When an evil sequence of events (or evil chain reaction) is started, we don't know where or how it will end. Since sometime they can branch or act as catalyst for new chain reactions. Eventually it might end up hurting us or someone we love. And we usually don't understand why this evil thing occurred to us or our beloved. Therefore, when we avoid the propagation of evil, we benefit everyone, including us and those we love.

I can not prove the existence of karma, or any supernatural force that will punish you (here or in your next life, if there is a next life) for doing evil. But most evil acts are illegal, and if you are caught, you will probably be punished. But if you think that it is OK to do evil as long as you don't get caught, or as long as it is not illegal. Then when evil is done to you or someone you love, know that it was probably done by someone that thinks like you.

I believe that doing evil affects our state of mind in a "negative" or detrimental way, and perhaps our heath is also affected in a negative way. Persons, who are not psychopaths, usually develop feelings of guilt when they do something evil. Such feelings of guilt may increase over time and become detrimental to the mental health of that individual, and interfere with his (or her) ability to pursued happiness. Also, it is a logical fact that the less evil that all of us do, the less probable that evil will be done to any of us.

I also believe that the more evil acts a person commits, the more evil he (or she) becomes. And the more vulnerable he (or she) becomes to the EGs. Eventually they might reach the state of mind where they actually enjoy doing evil acts and feeling evil emotions. In such a state of mind, I believe they will loose the ability to feel some of the divine emotions (such as love, joy, empathy, compassion, peace). They loose their imagination. And their ability to enjoy music, art, movies, creating or building something, can be very reduced or eliminated. This is a slow process (years or decades), so they are rarely aware of it. If we ask them about it, they try to justify it by saying things like "...Well, I know they are actors playing a role, and that situation did not really happened, so I don't find it funny, or exiting". Well, we know that too, but because of our empathy and imagination, we feel the excitement, or the joy, or the fun, or the sadness felt by the characters in a movie or a written story.
 


SECTION II  (Divine Goodness)


2.1  INTRODUCTION TO SECTION II

Divine goodness is the opposite of evil. An act of divine goodness is when we prevent (or stop) the physical or emotional harm of a human or animal. Or when we provide security, protection, or comfort (physical or emotional) for a human or animal. If such an act is at the risk of our own security or comfort (physical, emotional, or financial), then it is even more divine. When we use Goodness Generators (GG) to prevent an evil act, or to inhibit an Evil Generator (EG), then we are generating divine goodness.


2.2   GOODNESS GENERATORS (GGs)
The Divine Force or God (by design) or Nature (by evolution) has provided us with divine qualities, feelings, or states of mind. I define those as "Goodness Generators" (GGs), because they can generate goodness and can counteract or neutralize the effects of Evil Generators (EGs).

2.2.1   PATIENCE
Patience is the ability to tolerate, in good nature (without anger), delays caused by the incompetence or ignorance of others. It is extremely important that we are patient with children, since they have not fully developed their mental and physical abilities. Patience is related to serenity, because it is easy for people who have serenity to be patient.

2.2.2   TOLERANCE
Tolerance is the willingness to accept the fact that others might have beliefs, tastes, opinions, habits, or behaviors that are different from ours, or different from those or our culture. However, if those beliefs, habits, or behaviors are evil and dangerous to our well being, or a danger to those we love, then we are justified in limiting our tolerance.

2.2.3   FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness is the act of excusing an error, mistake, or offense, without thinking of revenge or holding a grudge. Remember the old saying "To err is human, to forgive is divine".

2.2.4   ALTRUISM
Altruism is unselfish concern for the welfare or well-being of others. This is one of the virtues of heroes. This virtue is what makes it possible for a soldier to jump on top of a grenade, that is about to explode, in order to save the lives of other soldiers around him.

2.2.5   GENEROSITY
Generosity is the willingness to give away some of our money, time, possessions, or knowledge, in order to benefit someone else. Persons who are generous are unselfish and not greedy.

2.2.6   HONESTY
Honesty is truly a divine virtue. An honest person is not willing (or disposed) to cheat, lie, steal, defraud, or deceit anyone. An honest person is less likely to commit perjury, treason, or infidelities. It is so rare to find truly honest individuals, perhaps because the EGs of greed, selfishness, lust, and ignorance are always tempting them to be dishonest.

2.2.7   LOVE
Love is a strong feeling of regard, affection and attraction. There are many types of love. There is parental love, romantic love, brotherly love, etc. Love can generate other GGs, because when we truly love someone, it is easier to be patient, forgiving, tolerant, honest, and generous towards  them.
 
2.2.8   EMPATHY
Empathy is the ability to feel, share, or understand the feelings, emotions, or thoughts of another person or animal. One of the reasons why dogs and humans can develop strong affection toward each other, is because humans and dogs have a lot of empathy toward each other.

2.2.9   SYMPATHY
Sympathy is similar to empathy, but not as profound or broad. And usually implies sharing (or understanding) a feeling of sorrow or anguish.  Sympathy can be a trigger for compassion.

2.2.10   COMPASSION
Compassion is the humane quality (or virtue) of understanding the suffering of others, and feeling the need to do something about it.

2.2.11   UNDERSTANDING
To understand is to know or comprehend, with the help of rationalization or logical inference or empathy.

2.2.12   GRATITUDE
Gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. We should show (demonstrate) the gratitude that we feel, by telling the person who did the good deed, that we really appreciate what he (or she) did and that we thank him (or her) for it.

2.2.13   SERENITY
Serenity is the absence of mental stress and anxiety. To be serene  is to be cool, composed, content, undisturbed, comfortable, patient, calm. Those who are fortunate to feel serenity, know how good it feels, and how it shields us from hate, anger, and other EGs.

2.2.14  COURAGE
Courage is the emotion that enable us to overcome our fears. It is thanks to courage that we able to do things that we fear but feel we should do, even if they might hurt us physically, emotionally or financially.

2.2.15  WISDOM
I define wisdom as the ability to use knowledge, experience, and perhaps some intuition or divine guidance, in order to judge new data (knowledge) being acquired or analyzed, or to make rational, sensible, and logical decisions.


2.3  THE IMPORTANCE AND REWARDS OF DOING GOOD (by using and/or feeling the GGs)
I believe that all living humans (and living animals) have, with in them, a certain amount of the Live Force. This live force has polarities. One polarity I call divine (or positive), the other I call evil (or negative). I also believe that the GGs are capable of increasing the divine polarity, and decreasing the evil polarity, in our live force. The EGs (Evil Generators) have the opposite effect, they increase the evil (negative) polarity and decrease the divine (positive) polarity. A full explanation of the Live Force theory is beyond the scope of this manual. However, such explanation is part of the wBook named "The Life Force" (found in this website).

By doing good, we not only increase the goodness within us, we also make it easier for those around us to pursuit happiness, and be more at peace. That in turn benefits us,  since they might be less likely to propagate evil or do us harm.

I believe that the more we use (or feel) the GGs, the more sensitive we become to the good feelings such as joy, happiness, peace, love, etc... In fact, I know (by experience) that in these "higher or more divine" states of mind, we can much better enjoy music, movies, reading, drawing, painting, creating or building something, giving or receiving affection, making love, etc... 



May you increase the divine force within you, and decrease the evil force within you.

~ THE END ~