WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO DO GOOD OR EVIL?
The WILL is a powerful tool given to man to choose whether to do evil or good in any circumstances, but sometimes certain conditions or factors affect the choice we make.
FEAR is one of the factors that can control the choice we make. Fear of offending a loved one can bend our will from good to evil, fear of being punished can also motivate us to do something even if we are not comfortable with it.
LOVE is another factor that can motivate one to do good or evil. When Love is real, it can go to the extreme just to put a smile on the face of the one loved irrespective of the morality of the act.
PROFIT / REWARD, people tend to do things because of what they will gain in the end. The reward becomes a motivating factor even when that which they are doing is not appealing to them. For example, people burn the midnight candle because they want to pass their exams and be rewarded with good grades.
DUTY/RESPONSIBILITY, A servant is subjected to that which please the master irrespective of whether he is comfortable with it or not, thus to carry out his duties, he obeys and carries out any action that will be in line with the demands and desires of his master.
Similarly, We as creatures of God owe him the duty of loving, honoring, and worshipping him. This affects our actions and choices.
Whether you are motivated by love, fear, profit/reward, duty, or responsibility, it is right that we access the morality of our actions before giving in to them. True love shouldn't lead us away from what is right neither should desire for a reward force us to do that which we know to be wrong. We are not expected to give in to evil simply because of the responsibility we are to offer to another. What is wrong is wrong and there shouldn't be any justification for that. There are laid down rules and regulations both from the scripture and the society, this is what we should see as a standard with which we will compare our actions.
Committed to evil or good spirit is a choice but each choice has consequences, it has been known that being good will lead to peaceful life though the path looks like hard. I prefer to choose being good in my way of life.
Indeed, it pays to do good. There is a reward for the good and the bad alike, we just have to analyze them and know the one that will be beneficial to us.
Talking about the things that motivates us to either do good or bad, I agree with you that a lot of factors can prompt one into some silly actions but I believe the most important one is human heart!
Talking about FEAR of offending someone or making them unhappy and fear of being punished can lead to taking bad decision - but when you look at it carefully you will understand that we all have our own choices to make when it comes to taking decisions no matter the condition - and whichever choice you make depicts the kind of person you are at heart.
For instance, because your brother will derive joy if you kill his enemy doesn't mean you should go ahead to do that just to make him happy knowing fully well that the act of murder is a sin
So I believe that human heart has a huge role to play when it comes to making good or bad decisions.
Wow. Thanks for this wonderful contribution. Indeed we have the will power to choose what we will do irrespective of the condition we find ourselves in.
That's right my friend! We are on the same page