Good Thoughts

There is little written about Good outside of a religious perspective. Good has been the domain of Western Judeo Christianity concepts for 2,000 years now.

I started thinking about Evil first and then switched over to Good. When I did , I found it much more difficult to sort out what is Good then I did what was Evil. An idiosyncrasy of mine perhaps, but the words to describe Good did not flow as easily. Nor was it easy to compartmentalize Good by activity or deed in order to define it. In the end, I decided that if bad things that can happen to people are not considered Evil , then beneficial things that happen to people should not be considered Good. Which left me with the idea that if Evil is harming other people, then Good is the prevention from harm.

This idea, that Good is the prevention of harm, brings new thinking to determining which people and which countries are Good. Under this idea, people and countries that take action to prevent harm, remove people who cause harm, and create organizations and institutions that prevent harm would be Good.

Also under this concept is the idea that beneficial results and deleterious results are neither Good nor Evil but happenstance or serendipity.  This idea is strange to consider in today’s society. If you live in America and are rewarded by the society with wealth, fame, and personal control over events, you cannot claim that your  personal goodness or relationship with God is the reason you have more than others. And you are no more Good than other people who have less than you.  I say that a man or woman who saves the life of another and is a criminal has accomplished more Good than a wealthy person who has never done anything to prevent harm regardless of how kind or caring they may be. 

You will find several pages about my thoughts on Good in the column on the right. Start with The Three Factors of Goodness ( Charity, Benevolence, and Morality) and then browse after that.