Quote of the Week

There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.  

– Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls, p.64

I remember when I was in high school and I visited this Buddhist temple on a field trip. When one of my classmates raised his hand to ask about whether Buddhists believe in the concept of original sin, the monk who was guiding the tour smiled and replied that “people aren’t born bad or born good. They’re just born.” 

I think about the response the monk gave a lot in my adult life because I think it’s only natural for us to characterize the people we encounter on a daily basis as good or bad. For example, a relationship ends bitterly and we immediately deem that person as “bad.” Although it appears that way according to our perspective, that’s just what it is: your individual perspective. People are ultimately flawed. Good and evil can and does coexist within us all.

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