An ounce of goodness

After a rather bad recession (the worse they say since the Great Depression), you hear a lot of words being thrown around among citizens, including: "jobs," "wages," growth," "tax-cuts," "tax-hikes," "debt," and "stimulus." Those are but a few. The point is, these sorts of discussions often crowd-out a discourse of a different sort. It's no wonder really, because unemployment, debt, and heavy responsibility are all difficult things with which to live. Yet too often, the press of modern life seems to pull our collective attention away from an idea that most of us implicitly support(a wonder perhaps considering the political debates of our times). Hear me out people. I'm speaking of "goodness."

Pau Casals (1876-1973), a famous celloist and conductor, once said, "Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it."

I've wondered about this line. I think Mr. Casals was right when he said it, but how does one actually do it? Surely it takes courage to act on goodness, but what happens when circumstances make it impossible for us to listen for it? What happens when the environment in which we find ourselves drowns out the faint music of warmth and kindness within ourselves by increasingly effective means?

The world is full of distractions. This isn't new, but technology and mass-communication have the potential to make those distractions harder than ever to look past. Economic stagnation and political uncertainty only add to the problem. There are many things that we are expected with which to concern ourselves. Perhaps we are all overburdened.

What shall we do? Care for people. Pay close attention to our families and friends; neighbors and total strangers. Do they have a need? Do they have some great potential? Are they stuck and require help getting out? When I think of Casals, this is what I imagine. Because let me tell you, it really does take courage to offer a hand to strangers, or perform an act of kindness without any thought of reward. Yet that would seem precisely what the world needs. You might be cheated, or even killed, in the process. But if you listen and have the courage to act, much good may come of it...or not.

Do not be discouraged. These times will past. And we may emerge stronger from it than before. Step-by-step, day-by-day, person-by-person, we may yet offer the world an ounce of goodness if we are but mindful of the chance and bold in action.

Stay mindful, my friends, and Happy August :)