The problem is that we view good and bad as some cosmic conflict between the forces of righteousness and evil, when they are the basic biological binary of beneficial and detrimental. The 1/0 of sentient decision making.

So it is from this foundation that all the higher order emotional, social and cultural shadings emerge. Such as love, honor, respect, responsibility, trust, etc. Not to mention the negatives.

Unfortunately when we mistake this elemental binary as the ideal, conflicts quickly become a race to the bottom, of us versus them, good versus bad.

Rather than each side being able to assume the other will hold to the higher, evolved structures of consciousness civil society and possibly use such situations to further evolve and develop social and civil relationships and structures.

The real conflict in life is between our multitudes of desires and the need to select among them. Whether as individuals, or as societies.

The anarchy of desire, versus the tyranny of judgement. The heart and the head. Youth and age. Liberal and conservative.

Not every acorn gets to be an oak tree. We can’t have our cake and eat it too. We can only take one path in life.

So we have to be able to sense and understand the particular shadings and nuances to life and its many options, not just assume it’s all black and white.