You are not born good (or evil)
I was driving in my car and a certain Xenoblade 3 track started playing. I was suddenly reminded of my post about clones and I realized I missed an entire point of the topic, that might also be considered as a tangent so... I think that's ok to consider this as a different topic, right?
Spoilers for Xenoblade 3 ahead, by the way.
I think I forgot to talk about the N and Noah situation because, well, they're not tecnically clones, are they? But at the same time, everything I've already said in the previous post applies to them. Same person with very different goals and ideas: N wants to be in his endless now, Noah decides the wretched world they live in must end.
I know its not the most popular pick, but N is my favorite antagonist in the Xenoblade games 1. I really like how pathetic he ends up being. There's no doubt in my mind he does horrible things and must be stopped and yet, at the same time, I get where he comes from. His story is heartbreaking. I'm also someone who really fear change, even to my own detrement. I empathize with him and all of those who have decided to become Mobious. Would this make me a bad person?
I have read people calling Noah "evil" because he has the potential of being a villain, as shown by N. To those people I ask, how many people in this world, having lived the same life as N, wouldn't have done the same things he did? Would you have done something different? "Of course I would have turned down Z's offer!" is something I can see many say. But you had different experiences that shaped your personality, you can only immagine what it is for him watching through the filter of what happened to you personally in your own life.
I've always thought this applies to the real world as well. I'm a firm believer that people are not born evil, they're raised as such. Of course, not everyone reacts to the same experiences the same way, something that could hurt me a lot could be nothing for others. Some things are innate, but I don't think something as abstract as "being evil" is one of them. I think evil is defined by what we decide to do, and I think no decision is taken without taking into account what we have experienced.
Someone would say that even good people can do bad things 2. I personally just think "good" and "bad" are a bit too abstract as words. I prefer to think there are people who control their instincts and those who make instincts control them, those who are more empathetic towards others and those who are naturally more self centered, those who can be hurt a lot and stand still and those who easily retaliate when hit. There are a lot of different cases and, ultimately, I think everyone has a different tollerance for each of those.
Ok, but, after all I've written, does this mean I think everyone's decisions must be excused because "Oh, poor them, they didn't choose to be raised like that, they didn't choose to be the victim of this tragedy that made them who they are now"? Of course no. If you willingly hurt someone else, you need to pay somehow. Or repent, I don't know. If someone tells you you hurt them, you should at least understand why and try not to do that anymore.
So, no, I don't think anyone is born good or bad. Not me, not you, not your bully at school, not your shitty boss, not the billionairs who we hear every day on TV that are ruining everyone's life. Their experiences made them who they are and I honestly think it's far scarier.