Being harmless doesn’t make you virtuous
And being dangerous doesn’t make you evil either.
Take a look at this rabbit:
You can be certain that this rabbit won’t kill you. I mean — just look at it — doesn’t it look completely innocent and harmless? There’s no threat whatsoever. Its teeth isn’t strong enough to bite off your neck. It’s virtually harmless.
But you need to be aware of the distinction between being harmless and being good.
Does the mere fact that rabbit can’t bite off your neck with its teeth makes it good?
You probably don’t call a rabbit good. The mere absence of the capability to create harm doesn’t make something automatically good.
Now, take a look at this tiger:
A tiger is dangerous. It can tear you into pieces and eat you alive.
But does the mere fact that a tiger can rip you apart makes it evil?
The tiger always possesses the capability to create harm, but when its stomach is full, it won’t even bother looking at you.
Now, take a look at this boxer:
This boxer is capable of landing lethal blows on your body and potentially cause harm.
Does that make him evil? It doesn’t.
The capacity for harm alone doesn’t make a person instantly evil.
It’s the intention behind the usage of that capacity that determines whether a person is good or evil. The boxer, like many other martial artists, is trained deliberately not to use their skills outside of the ring. But if the boxer is threatened by someone with a knife on the streets, he can defend himself and people around him if necessary.
In other words, you should be dangerous, capable of creating harm, but learn how to keep it under control. Because then, you can use that capacity to defend yourself and your people. Otherwise, you will just be a victim when you encounter someone truly evil, who is genuinely motivated to cause more suffering in other people.
But usually, if you are capable of harm, you will rarely have a chance to use it because people won’t mess with you.
Being harmless itself doesn’t make a person virtuous.
Being dangerous itself doesn’t make a person evil.
But having the capacity to create harm, and deliberately deciding not to use it makes you virtuous.
