‘Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.‘
Nelson Mandela
In every single country on earth people wonder whether what they do every day is actually good or not? This simple question ‘How to be good?’ has already been asked billion of times throughout the centuries. Not once, not twice, but constantly. What else I could do and how I could do something better to improve my well-being, people ask.
The dilemma of how to be good and do good things has been struggled with by hundreds of millions of people who dream of living high-quality lives.
I strongly believe that deep in their hearths people want to be good because they want to enjoy their lives to the fullest extent. They want to be happy for the lifetime, not only for a single moment. Because without goodness, none of us can be happy in the long run.
We cannot have clear minds.
We cannot feel satisfied with our lives.
We cannot have the quality of our relationships.
We cannot have positive emotions.
We cannot realize our full potential.
We cannot see and focus on what truly important is.
The definition of goodness
As I have already mentioned, please beware that I am neither a philosopher, not a behavioral scientist. Neither have I had a PhD in happiness from Harvard University, or a diploma in life management from Stanford University, or even a mere certificate in being a good guy. Do they even have those university majors? I may be wrong, but there is also a chance that I am right.
In my opinion, the answer to the question ‘How to be good?’, which has been wrestled by world’s greatest minds for generations, is very simple.
It includes universal truths rather than relies on personal perceptions or ‘what I think is good solely for myself’.
GOOD: If you want something that happens around you also happen to you, that thing or situation is considered as good.
– Seeing energetic people who smile right after finishing outdoor exercise is good. You also want to smile.
– Listening to a husband complementing his wife on how delicious her dinner was is good. You also want to have a happy marriage.
BAD: If you want something that happens around you not happen to you, that thing or situation is considered as bad.
– Beating other people to death in the dark alley is bad. You do not want to be beaten to death either.
– Bullying other students at school is bad. You do not want to be bullied yourself, or have your kids bullied by bigger and stronger boys.
– Making noise in your apartment when it is late is bad. You do not want to hear anyone’s noises when you are badly trying to rest after a busy day at work.
Yes, it is The Golden Rule that is probably the most universally applauded moral principle in the world.
Other indicators of being good
In addition to not doing unto others what you do not want others to do unto you which I mentioned above, there are a few more determinants into the equation of how to be a good person.
1. First, the thing you intend to do should be good in the long-term perspective. Planting trees is considered to be good. The trees you plant today will produce oxygen used by the next generations.
3. Third, the thing you intend to do should be good for both parties involved. If you sell healthy fruit juice or smoothies, those products benefit both you as a seller (you earn money) and the buyer (he or she gets healthier and will live longer). Both selling healthy food and consuming it must be considered good.
4. Fourth, the thing that you intend to do should not be harmful for nature. If your factory produces huge amounts of pollution, dirty air does not benefit neither people living in the vicinity of your factory (they will start getting sick suffering from respiratory diseases), nor the environment (rivers get polluted, fish begin to die, etc.)
2. Second, the thing you intend to do should not be harmful neither for the body nor mind. Eating unhealthy fast food can seem to be a good dietary choice as hamburgers may taste delicious, but after a few years of eating junk food, your body will deteriorate and you will start getting sick. Both selling and eating unhealthy food is considered bad.
To sum up, to be good you should do things that you wish one day will happen to you too, are good for both parties involved, good for the body, mind and soul, and good for nature.
How many good things did you do today?
