‘For the good of the country’, you say?
Work in Progress
By Ivan Morgan
I bet you never expected a philosophy lesson in The Shoreline. Hear me out.
A German philosopher named Georg Hegel (who died almost 200 years ago) made an observation which not only do I believe to be true but have seen with my own eyes to be true.
Most of us believe that, regarding human behavior, evil is the opposite of good. Hegel argued that in politics and other human interactions, evil isn’t the opposite of good, it is the good which believes itself to be completely good. Goodness so good is evil, if you will.
A scan of history will reveal leaders who murdered millions of their countrymen, and others, for the greater “good.” Whether it was in the name of a god, or for the secular political religions like communism, millions have been killed by folks convinced they were doing good. Chairman Mao, Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler killed hundreds of millions, secure in the knowledge they were doing it for the greater good.
Granted these are extreme cases, but I think this is an important idea to consider leading up to next month’s presidential elections, and our own federal elections whenever they happen.
I am taken aback by the nastiness in the American election. I am taken aback by the hatred people I know have for “the other side.” I am very uneasy at how many people think their own beliefs are good and their opponents’ beliefs are evil.
In the US, and here in Canada, both sides are absolutely convinced of their own “goodness” and how important it is to defeat their opponents. They must do it to save democracy! To save our way of life. To save the rights of minorities. To save the country. To save the planet!
Nobody does things for the wrong reasons. The Nazis in Germany thought they were doing God’s work by attempting to exterminate every Jew (and other so-called undesirables). Closer to home, the 1980s scandal over the sexual abuse of young boys by the Catholic church’s Christian Brothers and priests was largely about that organization covering up that abuse to protect the good work they thought the church was doing. They thought they were the good guys.
Half of Americans appear to think the other half of the population are evil morons. I worry because, no matter what happens November 5th (American election day) it’s not going to be over. Will there be violence? Is this a civil war? In the desire to do good, will people riot, destroy property and hurt or perhaps kill their opponents?
Even in Canada the new trend in politics is to demonize your opponent. I have been around politics my entire life. I have worked hard for several parties and candidates. Did I ever think my opponent was evil? No.
Today, depending on who you ask, Trudeau, Poilievre, or Singh are dangerous. Or, conversely, Trudeau, Poilievre, or Singh are heroes.
Here’s where that fellow Hegel comes in. All these people are doing what they think is good, and right. They all want the best for the country – the best for you. It might not be what you think is best, but they think they are working for all of us. Who’s good and who’s evil? When does their good become your evil? For many that’s a depressingly easy answer.
Here’s where you come in.
Don’t get caught up in their drama. Don’t listen to people who claim their opponents will destroy the country. Listen carefully to the various parties, look around your community and how it’s being run. Do you like what you see? Listen carefully to the people running in your area, and vote based on your opinion, not on the opinion of a party organizer. You, and your opinion, are not evil. How you vote is not evil. Vote as you see fit, without fearing being branded evil. You are a Canadian and entitled to your vote.
I have seen politicians who thought they were saviors. I have worked for people who were so certain of their own moral superiority that they could justify any decision they made as “for the good of the party.”
I have seen people decide what’s good for them is good for all of us, no matter what we may think. When they get to that stage it’s time to throw them out.
Ivan Morgan can be reached at ivan.morgan@gmail.com