Our Natural Goodness
“Within our beings, all of us, there are these uncontrived, natural roots of virtue, these instinctive seeds of innate goodness.” – 17th Karmapa
Sometimes lost in the hustle and bustle of our days and our sometimes challenging or difficult encounters with others, we can lose track of the basic goodness that resides in all of us. It is easy to recognize the harmful, and sometimes just plain mean, things that people do. They become very prominent and usually overshadow all of the kind and wonderful things that happen around us constantly throughout our days. All day long people are polite and kind to each other and are generally doing beneficial things. Our basic nature, before we get caught up in desires and judgments, is one of kindness. If you look, you will notice this frequently. When someone slips and falls, people instinctively help. Likewise, as the famous Mr. Rogers always points out in times of tragedy, we should look at all the helpers and how people come together to support each other.
It is important to remember that all of us are capable of doing harmful and beneficial things. In fact, we have done many of both throughout our lives. Those whom we label bad people, also do good things. Those whom we label good people, also do hurtful things. However, at the core of all of us is a desire to be a good, well respected member of society and be able to live a meaningful life with integrity. Unfortunately, hardships we’ve endured, our fears, and our distractions often conspire to prevent us from allowing our natural goodness to be reflected throughout our daily activities. The good is within us naturally, before we start thinking and worrying about me and mine. It flows more easily when we tend to the needs of we and ours.
Today I invite you to notice the goodness of others and all the kind acts that you see around you. See if they outnumber the harmful actions you may encounter. Also, when you see suffering of any kind, if possible, try to help relieve that suffering. – John Bruna, December 10, 2015.
The above is a an excerpt from one the daily emails sent to the members of the Mindful Life Community. I invite you to explore our community and consider joining.
