I attended a training session today that amounted to little more than group therapy. At one point the idea of manipulation and greed came up as inherently evil concepts. While to an extent I can see how that could be the case, there are very few individuals out there that genuinely believe what they are doing is evil. Some are misguided and some deranged, but rarely do they ever truly believe what they are doing is evil. Even Lex Luthor believes that he is saving the world from an alien menace. Occasionally I wonder to what lengths the most heinous people have gone to to convince themselves of the righteousness of their crusades.
Another topic that came up was the religious aspect. While I can appreciate that some people believe that faith alone drives them, it seems like something of a cop-out. By viewing life through the ultra-religious lens, one can absolve their self of any responsibility for their actions. I understand that God may have put you on a certain path, but to think that He put temptations along that path in order for you to fall victim to them is an odd thought. Not to knock how people view their faith, but I can't imagine enjoying life believing that I am not at all responsible for my actions. In fact, that mentality can be quite dangerous.
To an extent that mentality can be to blame for a lion's share of the problems in the US right now. Only rarely do I meet people that believe that no one owes them anything. I would guess that the majority of people are content shifting the blame to someone else for their misfortunes without looking inward and trying to glean some sort of insight regarding them. McDonald's doesn't make your kids fat unless they eat it all day every day. Spilling coffee on yourself should result in burns, it is a hot beverage.
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