A new perspective on Mt. Rushmore
Our perspectives of a particular object or idea are completely subjective and relative; They are relative to our position.
An analogy I enjoy using is looking at a shallow lake. You and I are standing in different locations, looking at the same lake. I may look at the lake and see blue water, while you may look at the lake and see the water is green. Which one of us wrong?
The truth is we are both right. Our perception of the lake is affected by the light reflecting off the surface of the water. From where I'm standing the water looks one color, but from where you're standing it looks a different color. That's a great way to understand how our perspectives differ with other things, like morality and politics.
Our points of view are affected by our perception of a particular issue/topic. Take hunting, for example...
I am an avid hunter; I love hunting very much. When I'm lucky enough to harvest a deer, it's a very good for me and my family. Good for me because I really enjoy the spiritual experience of being connected to, and part of the circle of life by being an active participant in the food chain as an apex predator. Good for my family because eating wild game is the healthiest meat one can consume, and putting a deer in the freezer drastically decreases how much meat is purchased at the store, benefiting our grocery budget, and our planet. While the experience is great for me and my family, it can be argued that it's very bad for the deer that is harvested. And while it may be bad for that deer, it's very good for the surviving population of deer, and other plants and animals that are connected to deer population in a particular area.
Contrary to what the Radical Religious Right wingers in our country would have you believe, there is no absolute good and evil. Good and evil are concepts created by man kind. Used to describe how something affects us, the concepts of "good" and "evil" or "good" and "bad" are totally subjective; They are based on our perceptions, which are based on our position in the world, and in our lives. Since none of us can occupy the exact same space at the exact same time, we will all have different perspectives, no matter how slight the difference may be.
"There are no actions that are "good" or "bad" from the point of view of all peoples, cultures, societies, species and interests. There are no actions that are absolutely good for life, and there are no actions that are bad for all species. There is no "opposite" to good or evil; there is no scale with "good" on one side and "evil" on the other: There are only conflicting subjective interests. It is all personal opinion, compromise and discord. "Good" is not the opposite of "evil" as both concepts are too personal, too subjective and too elusive to warrant definition or resolution as opposites." - Vexen Crabtree
The next time someone tries to sell you the idea of an absolute good and bad, right and wrong, or evil, you'll know they are nothing more than a snake oil peddler. And if you're willing to buy what they are selling, then I've got a bridge to sell you....
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