What Makes Us Guilty?

In society, lying is a behavior that every human being does. Two type of lies exits in this world, lies of commission or omission. There are many reasons of why people choose to lie, and lies can be placed in separate categories such as, white lies and black lies. For instance, when someone shares the expression “white lie,” the individual might be lying to protect self or others. These white lies have become more socially acceptable. However, not everyone who lies does it to protect others. There are individuals that will lie as an evil act to cause pain in others.
According to psychiatrist Scott Peck, “evil is that force, residing either inside or outside of human beings, that seeks to kill life or liveliness. And goodness is its opposite. Goodness is that
It is very common for all of us to accept certain situations, rather than acknowledging that there are other options. How many times have we all witness something that was not right, but choose to look the other way and ignore? Does this make us guilty? I strongly think that it depends on the circumstances. For instance, growing up and living in an underserved community, I myself have been guilty on failing to report unacceptable behaviors that I have witness. However, I don’t think of myself of an evil person by failing to interfere. Knowing what the people who lived around me were capable of and fearing for the safety of my family or myself, reinforced me to look the other way. As humans we “only when we are attempting to cover up something we know to be illicit….There is no need to hide unless we first feel that something needs to be hidden” (Peck, 1983). Today, thanks to the awareness I have developed through life experience, I keep in mind that I do have the option to help someone. If I witness something unacceptable, I do try to intervene. However, I am always mindful my safety and unfortunately sometimes I get caught up it