“It is necessary only for the good man to do nothing for evil to triumph.”

Where there is good, there is also evil. As such, there is always conflict between the two factions, but there have been many arguments as to which side has triumphed over the other. Good is typically associated with life, charity, continuity and happiness, while evil on the other hand is just the opposite of that. Some say that good will always triumph over evil, but is that always the case? Even now, many people are trying to find out what it means to be good and to be evil.

As said by Edmund Burke, “It is necessary only for the good man to do nothing for evil to triumph.” Evil will definitely win the battle if there is no one to stop it. Mankind is born with an evil nature, with a tendency towards greed, money and violence. But we are also kind and good in our nature. As such, good acts as a counterbalance against evil. But if either good or evil were to disappear, the balance would be disproportionate. Good and evil are exact opposites of each other; therefore if a good man does nothing to fight against evil, evil would run rampant. Take for example a robber. He steals a lump of cash, and the police do nothing to catch him. Seeing how there is nothing stopping him from stealing even more, he continues to rob people of their money, receiving no punishment whatsoever. Thus, evil would triumph if good did not do anything to stop it.

Furthermore, a good man is someone who upholds justice and repels evil. However, if a good man stands by and watches evil take place, he would no longer be considered “good”, and “good” would become invalid. A man is not good just because he has done something that is justifiably right, but is good by continuing to carry out those deeds. Therefore if a good man lets evil slip past him, evil will triumph over good.

On the other hand, there are some cases in which good resists against evil, but evil still triumphs. Evil is present everywhere in our lives, whether in school or in work. Despite good’s attempts at stopping evil, evil can still overpower good. There are many events that display such an event, like how the Japanese forces took Singapore by storm, despite Britain’s attempts at “resisting evil”. The overpowering evil does not even need to be shown to such an extent; even in work, bosses who abuse their power triumph over the “good” workers, with the workers unable to retaliate.

In conclusion, evil can triumph over good if good does not lift a finger to stop evil. Ultimately, evil and good act as a balance for each other, so as long as they balance off each other, they can coexist. However, evil can, and will triumph against good if nothing is done to stop it.