Doing Good; Doing Harm
Life is not pure black and white. There is always grey area that is neither completely black nor completely white.
I have good intentions wanting to do something good. But sometimes, things just take an about turn – intending to do good but have done harm instead. Sometimes I wonder whether I have treated my younger brother too harsh during his younger days. I wanted him to learn, to work hard and to be a better person. But somehow, things just went the opposite way.
In real life situation, what I sow may not be what I reap. There are too many factors playing around impacting the end product. It is hard to discern what is good and what is seemingly good. Or else, Ignatius would not have been wandering into dead ends in the maze of life.
Does it mean okay if I intend good but doing harm to myself or others? Perhaps the harm is done because my intentions are not purely good after all.
[Reflection on Autobiography of St. Ignatius, Para. 18]
I have good intentions wanting to do something good. But sometimes, things just take an about turn – intending to do good but have done harm instead. Sometimes I wonder whether I have treated my younger brother too harsh during his younger days. I wanted him to learn, to work hard and to be a better person. But somehow, things just went the opposite way.
In real life situation, what I sow may not be what I reap. There are too many factors playing around impacting the end product. It is hard to discern what is good and what is seemingly good. Or else, Ignatius would not have been wandering into dead ends in the maze of life.
Does it mean okay if I intend good but doing harm to myself or others? Perhaps the harm is done because my intentions are not purely good after all.
[Reflection on Autobiography of St. Ignatius, Para. 18]
In a way of life other than Christianity or Catechism, the emphasis is not 'right or wrong' actions, but rather 'skillful or un-skillful' actions.
ReplyDeleteWhat this means is taking a holistic view of the situation, with the end result as the final gauge.
Will your actions result if an overall better situation? if yes then it is a skillful act.
I like your using of "skillful" and "un-skillful". We are born with gifts not skills. I see that skills are to be trained and desires to be tamed.
ReplyDeleteGood experience teaches and we need them to further develop our skills in handling situations, managing self etc...
Bad experience can cripple us and we need the holistic view of self and situation to break ourselves free. And that require skills as well.
By the way, you sound very Catholic...
I've had the good fortune to engage with different religious thoughts and believes.
ReplyDeleteThe downside is I do not profess with 100% honesty, any particular religion.
Only exception is when i fill in official forms. Unless they start to have a category for 'Macam-macam'. :)
Well, don't worry. No one can ever claim that he (or she) professes his (or her) faith with 100% honesty. No one is perfect. We can only strive to be perfect.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is indeed a blessing for you to have come accross different religious thoughts and beliefs. Every religion has its own interpretation and understanding of the Ultimate Truth, the All Perfection, the Ultimate Reality or the so-called Supreme (Divine)Being.
Understanding the different perspectives of thoughts will somehow help us to have a better view of the Truth. But we of course, need to be selective in the different thoughts because no all thoughts are good.