Is Doing Good Good Enough?
I’m taking advantage of the fact that today is Good Friday to talk about good—not in a religious context, but in the context of its meaning as virtuous, right, commendable.
Goodness seems to come in all shapes and sizes in our society. It comes in writing the large check and in dropping a few coins in the donation box at the check-out counter. It comes in volunteering once a year on a special day and in a once a week commitment of several hours for a tutoring session, or dropping in on an elderly or disabled neighbor. And it comes in choosing to work for a wage in the sector that is thought to do good. Each of these is an example of doing good, for an individual, our community, our society. All of this is wonderful, and none of it is enough.
As a society, are we doing enough to encourage all people to give of their time and their dollars to do good?
Here’s another question: Do we do good simply because we’ve been guilted into it, not because we want to? I saw a sitcom recently centered on this idea. The neighbors of the typical sitcom marriage did all sorts of charitable things, and donated their time to Big Brother, Big Sister. the typical sitcom couple felt bad that they did none of this, so they started, just because they didn’t want to be looked down upon. Is doing good good enough, or do you need to do good because you actually want to do good?
Here’s another way of looking at it. High school and college students are donating their time more than ever. But is it for the right reason, or it is because volunteering looks good on an application/resume? And is it okay if the motive is personal gain, as long as people are being helped from it?