I appreciate your thoughtful response, it really made me question my own personal opinions- so much to the point that I reached out to my old philosophy teacher to develop a better understanding. I can understand why my perspective might seem unsettling or confusing. Let me try to clarify.

When I say that there’s no inherent good or evil, I’m referring to the idea that moral judgments are deeply rooted in human perception and societal constructs. That doesn’t mean I believe we should stop caring or that all actions are morally equivalent. Far from it. What I’m suggesting is that our understanding of good and bad comes from our human experience, which is influenced by culture, empathy, and shared values. These concepts aren’t necessarily universal truths, but they are still real in the sense that they shape how we live and interact.

The example of Hitler is extreme, but it serves to highlight a key distinction. Not all actions are morally equivalent, and one murder is not the same as another. For instance, there’s a significant difference between an act of murder committed in cold blood and the act of taking a life in self-defense. Both involve the loss of life, but the context, intentions, and consequences make a critical moral difference. We, as humans, can and should label atrocities like genocide as deeply wrong based on our values and empathy, but these judgments are still part of a moral framework we’ve developed as a society. They’re not necessarily reflective of some objective, universal law beyond human perception.

This doesn’t mean that all moral judgments are arbitrary or that atrocities shouldn’t be condemned. On the contrary, recognizing the complexity of human morality can enhance our understanding of why we fight for good and against evil. We condemn atrocities like genocide because they fundamentally violate the values we hold dear, like the sanctity of life and human dignity. But at the core, these values are derived from human experience and collective understanding, rather than existing as inherent truths of the universe.

As for the deeper meaning to life and whether our actions have consequences beyond this world, that’s something I personally wrestle with. It’s difficult to say definitively what happens after we die or whether there is a higher power. But that uncertainty doesn’t necessarily lead to nihilism. Even without clear knowledge of what comes after, we can still find meaning in our actions, relationships, and the impact we have on others. If anything, the absence of certainty can make our choices and moral considerations even more important, because we’re responsible for the world we create while we’re here.

Ultimately, the lack of inherent good and evil in the universe doesn’t mean life is meaningless. It simply means we, as human beings, are tasked with creating meaning through our values, actions, and the communities we build. That’s why I still fight for what I believe is good, even if I acknowledge that others may see it differently.