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Human nature

 　　What is human nature?

　　During the Warring States period, Mencius proposed the theory of inherent goodness, believing that people are born good, but become vulgar and selfish due to various factors. Xunzi proposed the theory of inherent evil, believing that people are born evil and need education to be guided onto the right path.

　　My view is that human goodness or evil is not related to innate nature, but is greatly related to acquired factors. Simply put, everyone is born pure, without a distinction between good and evil. In the process of growing up, people encounter various material and spiritual cultural impacts, as well as the influence of the behavior of relatives, friends, classmates, and teachers. Good and evil are only a matter of a single thought, depending on how you view and understand things. Concepts are the root of good and evil.

　　Culture can both make and break a person. In the process of growing up, there is the guidance of parents, the education of teachers, the spread of various media cultures, the influence of regional regions, and the infiltration of foreign cultures. For example, if you loved watching cartoons as a child, some might enhance your intelligence, while others might corrupt your mind. Influenced by your interests, the content of these cartoons becomes deeply ingrained in your mind, and you might constantly imagine yourself as perfect as the characters, affecting your behavior. Another example is the rise of the internet, especially online games, which negatively impacts the thinking and culture of teenagers, altering their interests. They think about games during class, while reading, and even while eating. If this continues, it can lead to financial ruin and criminal activity.

　　It's not just culture that has a subtle influence; the way people around you speak, behave, and their worldviews and philosophies all unconsciously stimulate your brain. For instance, if classmates bully you, resentment will fester deep within you. Even if you're okay now, the desire for revenge will darken your heart, leaving you constantly trapped in a vortex of hatred. Your beliefs, thoughts, and spirit will become corrupted, leading you to seek revenge against society, against the injustices of fate, and against the cruelty of the world. To give another example, if your parents were overly strict with you from a young age, frequently losing their temper, you will be influenced by their behavior and grow up to use the same methods on the next generation, venting the negative influence they had on you from childhood.

　　Good and evil are separated by a single thought. Before culture, we cannot bow down; we must absorb excellent traditional culture and advanced foreign culture, resist backward culture, and eliminate decadent culture. We must move forward with the times, allowing Chinese culture to enrich our spiritual world and strengthen our spiritual power. Regarding the influence of those around us, we must see the beauty in the world. If you view things with a positive and optimistic perspective, you will see that everyone in the world is good; if you view things with a negative and erroneous perspective, you will see everything as darkness and evil.

　　In short, in the face of good and evil, we must grasp the correct direction, not allowing evil thoughts to devour our hearts, and letting good thoughts fill the entire world.

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