Judgement Day

With the exception of a few indiviuals (I'm thinking the Hitlers of the world) most people aren't really bad. Likewise, with the exception of a few (I'm thinking Mother Teresa) most people aren't really good, either. It's all shades of gray. Real people say, think, and do things that are good and bad. How many bad things, truly bad things does it take to make one "bad" or "evil"? Can a thousand acts of "good" undo one extreme act of "evil"?

According to many theologies, there is a divine scorekeeper. He keeps a tally, and when you die you are judged. If the bad pile is heavier than the good one, look out, you're going to hell. How many acts of charity does it take to undo a murder? Or a theft?

These are the questions I'm pondering before I begin writing my next short story, "The Gossamer Trunk." In it, I'm going to explore this question. Who, besides the divine scorekeeper, is qualified to pass judgement on the lives we lead? "Cast the first stone..."

People die and fade away, but many times the actions they do live on...and on. There is no way to undo our wrongs, they are permenant...aren't they? I think about that a lot. From the minute your born, there is no way to start over. Is there? My character is going to meet a person, someone who is dead--and he will be faced with the all the bad this person has done. Despite masive attempts to do good, should this lingering bit of evil be strong, or weak? What will the final impression my protagonist walks away with be? Can a man's good outweigh his evil?

I can't wait to find out.