This project has been great thus far. It's allowed me to connect with people in deeper and more meaningful ways than I have before. I have noticed though, there are some trends in the type of "good" I keep finding. I began to ask myself, is this something all "good" has in common, or, am I limited in the scope of "good" I see and recognize?
Curious to find the answer I decided to do a small bit of research. We're all different people with varying outlooks and perceptions, why should our sense of "good" be any different? So I asked.
What do you see when you look for the good? What does "good" look like?
While I did anticipate getting slightly different answers, I didn't anticipate how touching people's responses would be and how moved I would be by the views they shared.
For some, finding the good is already a way of life. It's something they carry with them every day.
"I think of every day frustrations, like spilling coffee, or being late because there was traffic. If you look a situations such as those, you can remember that you were able to afford to buy that coffee, and that you are able to afford the car get you are stuck in traffic in. Good is positivity, blessings, and the aspects of life that make you smile, give you butterflies and that you strive for."
Others see it as something fairly clear to define:
"I'm looking for 3 main things.1.) It has to be completely genuine/real.2.) It has value just by itself and not simply as a means to an end.3.) It has to elicit a positive reaction.Good has intrinsic value- Does it make me feel excited, full of energy, thankful, joyful or even hopeful?"
I was touched by those willing to share their concept of good and thankful for the opportunity to broaden my own scope.
"Good looks like being heroic. It looks like making choices and taking actions that are for the good of many, not just self serving. Good looks like nature and natural forms, but also like ingenuity and the pursuit by mankind for a better world. Good looks like caring for others along with ourselves, working to support others, and working to improve the self you were the day before. Good looks like finding solutions to problems, instead of contributing and perpetuating them. Good looks like lifting others up. Good looks like lifting yourself up, finding strength and comfort in yourself, and still accepting it from others. Good looks like the small lights that can be found everywhere, even in the darkest places. And good looks like being that light, especially when there doesn't seem to be another one around. Good looks like a smile, a friendly face or gesture, a show of good will. Good looks like the holding of hands, like a long tight hug, like a soft kiss on the forehead. Good looks like open hands, open arms, open hearts, and open minds. Good looks like finding and being the beauty in the world and the life you live in."
Good, I think we can agree, is something that we all strive and hope for. It's something that we hope emerges from us when we have nothing else to cling to and nothing else to give.
"Finding the 'good' is seeing the heart of someone and appreciating their soul's capacity to love purely. The good in the world is there because of the people that fill their lives and the lives of others with love. When you put others before yourself and care to make this world a better place than when you left it, you are good. Life is really about seeing the good in others and showing the good in yourself to others. Our time here is so limited and there is so much that can't be defined as 'good'."
Some days it's so easy to see only dark. It's easy to find the problems and the areas we fall short. I vow to continue to look for good, all types of good, so that I can be the best "good" I can be.
Share what "good" looks like to you in the comments and don't forget to nominate someone to share their "good" story!
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