The Lost Codex by Ethereal_Cultivator: Good and Evil

Good & Evil
Every coin has two sides, that’s what makes it a coin.
If either side is missing then it’s not a coin, it’s something else.
So it is with all things.
In this world, all things are divided.
Everything has it’s strengths & weaknesses, it’s pros & cons.

In actions, there are good actions & bad actions.
In ways of doing things, there are right ways of doing things, & wrong ways of doing them.
In the world, There are righteous people & wicked people.
In the heavens, there are lights amidst the darkness.

It is duality that defines things, & through duality that individuals can come to know themselves.
Something can be seen as long only when compared to something short.
Evil can be understood as evil only when it is compared to something good.
Good can only be known as good, because evil exists.
So all things are necessary, in heaven & earth.

In the absence of duality, distinctions cannot be made.
If comparisons & contrasts cannot be made, nothing can be understood as what it is.

Scorpions are harmful because it is their nature to be defensive.
People, however, can be harmful, if it is their nature to be evil.

Good men do not argue, those who argue are not good
What is a good man, but the bad man’s teacher?
What is a bad man, but a good man’s job?

Nothing is easier than doing good & harder than accomplishing evil
Doing good means charity & non-forcefulness
Doing evil means cunning & avarice

When there is evil in the world, good arises to oppose it
When evil is ubiquitous, the righteous become unpopular
When good is ubiquitous, the wicked resent the good

It is the nature of a monster to devour & destroy, to rape & to dominate
It is human nature for men to protect their fellow men
But time & space encompass all things
Even as time & circumstances bring opposites into conflict
So Good and evil conflict, but neither conquers the other
There is a time & place for all things
There is a time for being ahead, & a time for being behind,
A time for being in motion, & a time for being at rest
A time for being animated, & a time for being exhausted
A time for being safe, & a time for being in danger
All are necessary for the sustenance of life
Just as you breathe in, you must also breathe out

When wolves consume too much prey, their food becomes scarce
When food is scarce, the weak perish while the healthy endure
When wolves perish, prey are not hunted
& when prey are not hunted, they flourish

When prey flourish, they devour the land
When all the produce of the land has been eaten, the terrain changes
When roots are weak, rivers change course
When roots are absent, dirt becomes sand
When sand is not mixed with humus, the land becomes a desert,
When the land is a desert, prey & predator alike perish altogether

So what is best is for predators to hunt, but not to be ravenous
For hunters to eat, but only as much as they need
What is best is for prey to survive, & so that they may survive, life evolves

When everything lives according to it’s nature & nothing is forced, harmony manifests
When harmony is present, there is peace & amity in heaven & earth

Wolves are not evil, it is the nature of a wolf to be vicious
Deer are not good, it is the nature of a deer to be flighty
Yet when predator & prey live in harmony together, the land is not spoiled

There is a time & place for all things
A time to rest, & a time to labor
A time to eat, & a time to refrain from eating

Those who live in harmony reap the best rewards
The spoils of war go to the victorious
But harmony ensures the good & welfare of all

When propriety is not maintained, harmony can be lost
When harmony has been lost, & the world is in disorder, only the excellent survive

So be timely in choosing the right moment, & always strive to do what is best.