Nietzsche is one of my favorite philosophers... Although, I had no idea this quote existed until I read it recently in Paolo Coehlo's The Devil and Miss Prymm.

Mr. Coehlo uses it in the context that there is good and evil in all of us... the only variable is the moment in time in which a person will exhibit one or the other...

Mr. Nietzsche on the other hand... I can only presume from his uber-atheist standpoint... is making an argument against the existence of God while cementing his belief in the evolution of man into ubermench (a super human of sorts)... reaffirming that religion has no place in this process.

And there's Mr. Hauser... 'Lover of Man, Hater of Hate' :)... "...God has a Hell, His love for humanity" is simply a criticism on people (humans) being flawed... We humans, are bad and God is punishing Himself for creating us.

But are we essentially bad?

Are we essentially good?

Or are we the result of our environment?

Perhaps a combination of the first two... as Paolo writes?

I'm leaning towards none of the above...

People aren't essentially anything...

I realize I'm playing a game of semantics... taking one thing and calling it another, however I see people as beings with good, bad, ugly... and nothing, all at the same time.

One person can be a saint to a particular group of people... while at the same time a cold, spiteful, arse to others.

Does this quality make this person good? evil? both? neither?

Can a person be all good? ALL good?

And conversely... can a person be all bad/evil?

I believe Mr. Coehlo has a point with his usage of Nietzsche's quote... stating that people have both qualities in them... but I don't believe that time is the variable that proves his claim. People are all things at once and can exhibit any of these things at any given moment.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm capable of just about anything...

Given the right circumstance and environment... I could have been a doctor... lawyer... politician... acrobat... savant... or even a sociopath who kills for good (I *heart* Dexter :)). Who's to say I don't have all these qualities in me right now? Or none?

According to Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers, people need only to possess a minimal level of intellect, talent, etc... but the truly great are separated by their desire to succeed.

This is likely a reality for a majority of the human race... given proper guidance, nurturing, environment, and luck... ANYONE CAN COOK!

Sorry, my kid just watched Ratatouille for the hundredth time...

But my point remains! The only thing that really separates people is desire...

A passion for success...

But good and evil?

What part does this play?

Simple words from simpler times?

And where does that leave our omnibenevolent, omniscient God? Is He cursed because He has to witness all of humanities evils? Proud to observe each person's good will? Or unfazed by either (as I would imagine He would be)?

Chew on this... and let's discuss :)