Hi!
It's me again, and I am ranting...
One time, The Doctor, in the series Doctor who turned to one of his companions and asked:
Am I a good man?
The answer to this question is not as simple as we often think it is. People think that as long as I help the poor, I do not steal, I do not defraud another person or have ulterior motive towards my fellow man, then I am a good person.
Well, I do not know about that. Because if we are to answer the question honestly, one of the questions that should precede it is:
What is the definition of good?
I will use a story similar to what Aristotle used to illustrate my point.
If I asked you:
Is it good to lie?
Your default answer would be:
No
But if I provided some context to it and say something like:
A general went to battle with his troop of 5000 soldiers. He had a battle plan that depended on secrecy to succeed. However, he needed to tell his men something, a plan that would at least give them the motivation to be able to go into battle.
If he lies about his plans and his intentions in battle in other to solidify the secrecy of his battle plans. Does that make what he has done bad or good?
what if he decides to tell them the truth and because of that, his plans get exposed and he looses the battle, would that be a good thing or a bad thing?
I know that this is not a very good illustration, but I am hoping that it passes the point across. The subject of good and bad is not exactly cut in stone.
Ever heard of the term, the greater good? Do you think that a small bad/evil can be justified by something called the greater good? Is there such thing as a necessary evil, some evil that must be done in other to ensure that the ultimate outcome is good?
It would be completely ignorant of anyone to assume that things in life are either white or black. There are grey areas too, paradoxes of good and evil that would do our brains in when we think about them.
Action vs Intent
This then raises the question:
should people be judged based on actions alone or based on intent as well?
If someone does good with an evil intent, is the person good? What if someone does bad with an good intent, is the person bad? Is it our intent that define us or our actions?
Someone might say, our intents definitely tell if we are good or bad. I have a question for you...
A person who is struggling with an addiction. His intention every time he comes in contact with money is to satisfy his cravings even though he has responsibilities to his family. Would you say he is a bad person because his intents are selfish? His intents are only selfish because he has an addiction.
What if a man decides to help the poor and his intention is to be seen as a good man( which you would say is selfish) only because he wants to be able to please his father. Would that be good or bad?
The Doctor's companion answered the question by saying:
I don't know.
Ultimately, it looks like being a good person is a discovery, a journey we should all get to make. It is making the effort to be pure in intention as well as pure in actions. Would there be grey areas? yes. Would there be shortcomings? Yes. But in the long run, you get to decide to be a better man, maybe not good... but a better man as the years run by.
Thank you for reading.
Until I rant again...
I am Covenant, a Medical Doctor with a passion for holistic medicine-( fancy word for treating a patient as an individual and not just addressing their symptoms).
My focus lies in the deep connection between mental health and overall wellbeing, and I create content across various medical topics with an emphasis on mental health. Follow me for insights into holistic medicine and approaches to health and wellness.
