Genesis, whose writers gave us two versions of creation, assigned wrong or evil to the serpent, and poor Eve, poor womankind, was guilty early on. Temptress that she was, she became the one to blame for the sins of mankind, at least among the early writers who were, in all likelihood, men.
Over the years I have always felt that all human beings have a basic sense of right and wrong, of what is morally correct versus what is morally reprehensible. I have not yet given up on that belief, but sometimes it gets harder and harder to continue to believe.
Doing what is right seems so simple, but how then do you explain a Putin or a Nixon or a Charles Manson? Is it a case of nurture versus nature? Who knows for sure? But, for sure, the rest of us are left to deal with it, whether it be the poisoning of Navalny, or the involvement through social media in U.S. elections by Russia, or maybe the corruption of Watergate in our American democracy and government, or even the bloody violence of Helter Skelter.
Maybe it is not right versus wrong, but instead power and control versus obeisance and submission! Please God! I pray not, but still it seems so as the American Experiment moves into its third century!
Our American democracy was an experiment, an attempt to put in place a system that controlled for overreach in power. The Founding Fathers wanted to prevent the evils of the Divine Right of Kings. The three branches of government were devised to provide a Balance of Power, (1) the Executive Branch to simply administer the rules or laws that were developed at the behest or direction of the people through (2) the Legislative Branch, a representative or republican lawmaking body, and finally, (3) the Judicial Branch to review and to ensure the fairness of actions of the other two branches.
Right versus wrong, good versus evil, truth versus lies, law abiding versus lawlessness, all issues to consider whether you are conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat. Unfortunately, neither group is uniquely positioned to be in the “right,” “good,” “truth,” “law abiding” corner as witnessed throughout the American Experiment. From Benedict Arnold down to Paul Manafort, the United States has had individuals who have considered themselves above the law.
Combine that with the lawlessness of someone like Bernie Madoff or Charlie Ponzi, and capitalism running amok on Wall Street, and you begin to doubt whether there is inherent right versus wrong!
Even so, I am ever the optimist, believe it or not! I hope and pray that Mitch McConnell and Charles Schumer, Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi, President Biden and others come together for the American people and for what is honest and right! I pray that the White Supremacist movement in this country dissipates and Nazism throughout the world remembers its inherent evil!
I hope all Americans, people of color and others, come together for the common good! The American Experiment must not be lost! Good versus evil, right versus wrong! Let’s hear it for what is right and for the “Common Good!”