Last update: December 05, 2016
There are people who, for various reasons, face life convinced that the pain of others is an advantage for them, rejoicing and becoming the cause themselves. The best answer we can give to these kinds of people is a lesson in kindness. Indeed, this is the best way to show respect.
The concepts of good and evil have been topics of conversation throughout centuries of history, mainly relating to how the human soul relates to them. Ultimately, it is largely a question of culture, society and other variables that can be introduced into the debate.
More than technical and scientific support on the subject, in this article we explore individual reflection. The starting point is a concrete situation in which a person behaves badly and harms us. How do we respond to this situation?
Because goodness is a lesson
There are various reasons why goodness can be considered a great lesson, even when we fail to understand the motivation that led someone to hurt us. Basically, by using goodness as an answer, we are not relieving the other person of what he has done to us, but we rid ourselves of negative emotions.
On many occasions it is really difficult to forgive the other and be understanding. Yet it is important to remember that you can forgive without forgetting and without losing trust. In this way, forgiveness does not make us more naive or less vulnerable, but frees us from a burden that keeps the wound of the damage suffered open.
"To each new act of cruelty we will have to oppose a new piece of love and goodness, conquered in ourselves."
-Etty Hillesum-
Goodness becomes a lesson because it is rewarding, foments solidarity, is good for self-esteem and opens the door to pain and learning. An act of goodness looks to one's own good and that of others. Cruelty, on the other hand, looks only to itself and seeks to pursue only its own interests.
Goodness comes from the heart
One of the most widely held views is that we are born neither good nor bad, but we cultivate goodness or badness depending on how we grow emotionally. For this reason, we can say that goodness comes from the heart and is nourished by it. If during our life we ​​do not want to harm anyone, how can we react with revenge towards those who try to harm us?
Responding with a bad action changes nothing, does not repair the damage and gives only momentary satisfaction. Rancor destroys, transforms and does not bring any positive results. The other person will feel entitled to insist, since you behave in the same way; so not only will you not have gained anything, but you will also have lost everything.
"I was in possession of a greater art, an art that cannot be learned: that of goodness"
-Ursula K. Le Gin-
As M. Gandhi said, each of us should become part of the change he wants to see in the world. Starting from the most complicated and difficult situations to overcome up to the smallest ones. We can also rely on the ethics of Kant, who held that virtue consisted in "making our work a universal work".
Do not allow wickedness around you
We are surrounded by hatred, violence and fear, and it is therefore necessary to educate with values ​​that contribute to social and individual well-being, values ​​that prevent the development of all those censurable attitudes that surround us. In fact, those who have lived it have discovered that the famous "eye for an eye" is actually useless, because, in the end, we all end up being blind.
We cannot allow wickedness to develop around us, much less there must be a willingness on our part to use it for punishment. Kindness teaches through example, without giving rise to all those feelings that have as their sole purpose the intent to poison. Goodness allows you to keep positive situations in your memory by eliminating negative feelings.
When faced with a bad gesture, try to respond with a good deed. And if the pain is severe enough to make you blind, give yourself plenty of time to heal. Not to forget, but to have your movements controlled by rationality rather than anger or rage. Ultimately, if you are unable to remedy this and are unable to do a pedagogical analysis of the situation, rather, walk away, without hurting yourself, because it is not the right way to behave anyway.
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil but for those who observe without doing anything"
-Albert Einstein-
