I No Longer Believe in Good and Evil

           That title is not click bait. It's not a gimmick or an intentionally (or even unintentionally) extreme statement to draw a reaction. It's a concise statement of a fact.
           After years of contemplation, and not just a fifteen minute epiphany, I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as good or evil. I've said for some time that such things live and die with humans. We created the concepts, and that's about as far as it goes. But I had still accepted the existence of good and evil simply because I accepted the existence of humans. I continued to contemplate this. Eventually, I concluded that there simply is no good and evil, so far as the practising definition goes, I no longer believe in their existence, even with the existence of humans.
           There was something else that I've said for a while that seemed to contradict my prior belief that good and evil both existed, and lived and died, with humanity: that humans aren't special. This contradiction was that humans couldn't be both mundane and the sole cause of the existence of good and evil; that would make is special. But I stand by the belief that humans aren't special. We're animals, like any other. Like any other living organism, our point of view is singular, on the inside looking out. Porpoises both have extraordinary brains that rival our own, and sonic radar that literally makes other vertebrates, at least, considerably transparent. At the very least, any 'special' qualities we have are relativistically mundane and matched by qualities in other creatures.
           I believe in neither a mystical 'fate,' nor in true 'free will.' I believe in trajectories, inevitabilities, and variables so far beyond our range of comprehension that we turn to such supernatural explanations. This completely contradicts the existence of good and evil. In order for good and evil to exist, people must have complete, informed choice. The aforementioned trajectories essentially suggest that everything that happens is inevitable. This is close to 'fate,' but without the belief that some supernatural entity is guiding everything with a wilful hand.
           I also believe that choices still matter. Virtually everything can be seen as akin to chemical reactions: what people say and do causes a reaction in what others say and do. Animals often kill or cannibalise the weak and deformed, which serves a purpose. I still believe the creation of those creatures was inevitable. I still think that the animals that killed their own had some semblance of choice. The choice was to let that one of their own continue living and risk the whole group, or to kill the individual and improve the group's odds. Such logic doesn't always win, though, even amongst non-Homo sapiens. After all, we live in a world where pet monkeys save pet dogs from house fires. Altruism is also an evolutionary, practical mechanism.
           Right and wrong are different and variable. For instance, is it wrong for someone to kill another being? Well, that entirely depends on the intended result. If the individual who does the killing got the results they wanted, then - for them - that was the right thing to do. Maybe not ethical, but right for them. Actions cause reactions. Whatever actions and results an individual dislikes the most becomes 'evil' and 'wrong.' When a collective dislikes it, it becomes immoral and unethical. These are just more words for the things we don't like. We can have good reason for disliking them, but it doesn't mean there's any objective morality or supernatural influence at play.
           Without actual 'good' and 'bad,' most arguments become, on some level, moot. Still, when definitions are preset, people go along with them. This means that people can proudly self-describe as 'bad,' and still be more well-adjusted than someone who yet others describe as 'good.' We often seem to ascribe immutability to our concepts of good and evil, but everything is mutable. This is a world of chaos we ardently and futilely attempt to force order upon.
           Ideals are not realities, and should not be expected to be able to be reality. Ideals are ideal, Utopian - even, but not realistic. Ideals inevitably undermine diversity. Even liberal ideals inevitably face the very hard and immovable wall that diversity undermines getting along. The false belief of good and evil further undermines widespread (but not entire) peace and happiness. It's also a false belief that peace and happiness are always 'good' things. Take morality, take supernatural or self-centred justice, out of the equation, then there's more room for harmony, acceptance, and inclusion. To be clear, this does not mean everyone would be happy, there would be no more wars, and people would live peacefully ever after. It merely means that the concepts of good and evil often get in the way of some realistic amount of cohesion.
           If anyone reads this, they probably won't agree, at least not completely, with my assessments and ramblings. The one rationalisation I may prefer is that the concepts of good and evil are so deeply entrenched in our psyche that others can't accept their non-existence, but another conclusion is that - in accordance with my previous statements - we arrive at different conclusions and have different points of view. Everyone has independent experiences and points of view, so it's ignorant to think we can all arrive at the same ones, and arrogant to think everyone should arrive at the same conclusions as me. While I no longer believe in good and evil, I believe the concepts and beliefs have their functions, their roles, and their places. The beliefs of the concepts have effects and cause reactions, partly shaping the world into what it is. To seek eradication of the beliefs is a result of a sense of good and bad, and to defy diversity and range. Beliefs are the functions of individuals, but their influence on the individual is passed on to the individual's influence on others.