The Goodness Deficit
I’ve been thinking about goodness and, more specifically, whether I have ever done anything truly good?
Do I increase the sum total of happiness in the world? Do I improve the world by being in it? I have certainly done a lot of things which are not harmful, or which are relatively inoffensive – and I’ve done plenty of things that are good for me. But does that count as goodness?
I heard the CEO of a bike company on the radio the other day. He was saying that his company exists to make the world a better place by getting people out on their bikes and keeping them fit and healthy. That does sound good. But to put it another way, his company exists to sell bikes and make money.
I suppose you can make anything sound “good” if you put enough spin on it.
Take my job…I work in the public sector, which you would think would be a good thing, but some people don’t seem to think so. The Council provides services for the general public – be it waste collection, libraries or care homes – and I contribute to that in some small way. But sometimes that care is bad, and the waste goes to landfill and the libraries are outsourced – so where’s the good in that? And, ultimately, I do get paid and that’s probably the main reason I get out of bed.
What about my writing…a comedian I once met said that he views each joke as being a small contribution to the joy wafting around the world. So, ff you read my novel and smirk at page 43, have I done a good thing? Or perhaps art can only truly be good if it changes the world – a bit like Dickens and his effect on the poor houses. As Heather Wolf said: “Use your voice for Good in this world. There are many who tear down, but it's those who build up that truly touch hearts & transform lives.”
But wait…I’ve got it. The other day, at the age of 38, I helped an old lady cross the road. She was trying to cross a busy street, cars whizzing by, with her Zimmer frame and shopping bag. I stepped out into the road and held up traffic as she worked her way, at a snail’s pace, from one pavement to another.
Maybe that’s all goodness is…and maybe that’s all we need in these divided times.
“You feel the fragrance of goodness not only in the mere physical presence of a person, but also in the words he uses and the acts he performs. It all leaves you more perfumed.”
― Rabb Jyot, The Freedom of Being Human
Do I increase the sum total of happiness in the world? Do I improve the world by being in it? I have certainly done a lot of things which are not harmful, or which are relatively inoffensive – and I’ve done plenty of things that are good for me. But does that count as goodness?
I heard the CEO of a bike company on the radio the other day. He was saying that his company exists to make the world a better place by getting people out on their bikes and keeping them fit and healthy. That does sound good. But to put it another way, his company exists to sell bikes and make money.
I suppose you can make anything sound “good” if you put enough spin on it.
Take my job…I work in the public sector, which you would think would be a good thing, but some people don’t seem to think so. The Council provides services for the general public – be it waste collection, libraries or care homes – and I contribute to that in some small way. But sometimes that care is bad, and the waste goes to landfill and the libraries are outsourced – so where’s the good in that? And, ultimately, I do get paid and that’s probably the main reason I get out of bed.
What about my writing…a comedian I once met said that he views each joke as being a small contribution to the joy wafting around the world. So, ff you read my novel and smirk at page 43, have I done a good thing? Or perhaps art can only truly be good if it changes the world – a bit like Dickens and his effect on the poor houses. As Heather Wolf said: “Use your voice for Good in this world. There are many who tear down, but it's those who build up that truly touch hearts & transform lives.”
But wait…I’ve got it. The other day, at the age of 38, I helped an old lady cross the road. She was trying to cross a busy street, cars whizzing by, with her Zimmer frame and shopping bag. I stepped out into the road and held up traffic as she worked her way, at a snail’s pace, from one pavement to another.
Maybe that’s all goodness is…and maybe that’s all we need in these divided times.
“You feel the fragrance of goodness not only in the mere physical presence of a person, but also in the words he uses and the acts he performs. It all leaves you more perfumed.”
― Rabb Jyot, The Freedom of Being Human
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