We are not only evil. We are not only selfish or uncivilized. But all too often we behave in this way toward others and in doing so, we ignite a fire that first begins in them then inevitably spreads back to us—breeding a continuous cycle of self-sabotage. Even if this was not the initial intention, in this man-made hell is where we all eventually find ourselves. But perhaps this is the sickness—the spitefulness—of humanity. A humanity where we generalize too quickly, where we forget to see people as individuals.
Beautiful things are still happening all around us. And although acts of kindness permeate our social feeds, they are not enough to saturate the negative, to shift our trajectory toward a more positive outcome.
Unfortunately, applying mathematical principles does not work on humanity. We are too often thinking about goodness and kindness in terms of addition or subtraction—but we can’t treat humanity like a bank statement—this cost/benefit analysis will get us nowhere. Because we cannot commodify goodness.
And although a deeply rooted desire to fill our soul is within each of us, it is this same desire that can cause us to turn away in fear from the beggars in the street as their suffering reflects back our own scarcity. And when we feel this sense of emptiness, it makes us need more. So we fill that emptiness up with things, with food, with money…but this is not the way to fullness.
It is a natural impulse that when we give of ourselves, we will want something in return. Ironically, though, the amount to which our soul is filled is not connected to how much we get, but instead to how much we give. And it is in this equation where the answer can be found:
Doing good is only true when it is for the sake of goodness itself.
Translated by: Nuray Narbay & Kristin Bond
Edited by: Kristin Bond
Aya Sordum 