The Good, the Bad and the Butterfly Effect

What is the difference between right and wrong? How do we define an entirely subjective concept? Wait a minute, a subjective concept? Right and wrong isn't subjective, it is objective. Is there not a definite standard according to which it might be judged? Is this standard not the public interest? Is it not the set of moral guidelines according to which all civilized people live by, as dictated by custom, religion and legislation? 

This is true to a large extent, and therefore we are able to subjectively make a judgment on a situation and determine whether an occurrence is good or bad. Unfortunately we only live in three dimensions and are therefore not able to see the vast array of the consequences of our actions. As a rule, I concede that good actions bring good fortune, and vice versa. But, are there not outliers? Are there not occurrences where a good deed brings about a bad result? Are there not occasions where a person attempts to do something bad, but then something good happens? 

Unlocking the secrets of the atom was a monumental achievement, a giant leap forward in the development of mankind and yet it brought about some of the world's most lethal weapons and still stirs fear in the hearts of powerful men. Through the strange workings of time, a bright moment of enlightenment and prosperity has been changed into an omen of dread and somber thoughts. How do we judge good and bad in such a situation? The only way to explain it is by saying that the occurrence had both good and bad results. 

Does that not immediately imply that good and bad are subjective measures, as determined by the time, space and light in which you look at it? Adolph Hitler was the Time Magazine Man of the Year a mere year before World War II broke out. At that time, and in that place he seemed to be a good man fighting for the prosperity of his country. Had Time Magazine had the gift of foresight, their front cover would definitely have looked a bit different.

Now let's take this to another level. According to the Butterfly Effect a small occurrence may have large and reverberating consequences. You miss the bus and meet the girl of your dreams, or you take a wrong turn and avoid a collision. We are unaware of the cosmologically huge amounts of probable events that are continually being created and obliterated, in a constant state of flux, depending on each and every decision that each and every person makes each moment of every day. I take the long road home, run into an old friend, we have a conversation which sparks an idea, which slowly grows and finally takes form 30 years later as my friend embarks on a motorcycle journey and due to his absence, is saved from a fire in his house which would have taken his life. This sort of thing is happening all the time. The infinite number of possible permutations, as well as the presence of constant random and spontaneous changes in this mesh of possibilities, makes it impossible to determine the long-term consequences of any event. 

For this reason it is impossible for us to objectively judge the 'good' or 'bad' value of an occurrence. At most we can have a subjective opinion, masked as objective logic. 

Is it not therefore wise to abandon the concepts of good and bad, and rather accept every moment as 'perfect'? Good times and bad times are only good/bad according to your own judgment. What might seem good now may turn out bad later. What might seem bad now may turn out for the better later. Our experience of good and bad is dictated by the time and place where we occur, as well as the light in which we look at it. 

If we could look at life in the divine light of the creator, we could see the creation for what it is: perfect.