Duel With Dualism

My sister was explaining to me about the need for balance in the moral world, how good must be equal to evil. This is a very common belief.

Black and white checkered floors, as in Masonic lodges, are emblematic of this ancient philosophy. Winston Churchill and other elite often retreated to a country building called Checkers, with the same pattern.

My wife and I went for a boat ride with a lady to a tiny island in Florida's St. John's river. As we sat on the beach she explained that she believed in dualism. The sand was nice and flat, and I could not resist drawing a simple diagram in it.

A Boy Scout rescues a little old lady by pulling her from the path of a speeding auto (+1 for a good deed). Somewhere, across town, a psychopath--the kind that used to be played by Richard Widmark--pushes another little old lady into traffic, and she is run over by a bus (-1 for an evil deed). This is perfect balance.

I completed my simple little arithmatic diagram. We add, +1 and -1 = 0. This is dualism in action.

Poor lady! She just wanted to take us for a little boat ride. But after she had lectured us on the art of proper breathing, she lit up a cigarette. So I knew she was in trouble.

Satan is often pictured as the equal, but opposite, of God. C.S Lewis rescued me from that idea. He said Satan (once called Lucifer), though he is smart and strong, is a created being who fell. God is the Eternal One, but Lucifer had a birthday.

We will leave little old ladies out of this now. In the future, the devil will be run over by an 18 wheeler. When this happens, all the negatives will be gone. There will be nothing that is not good.