Good Vs. Bad

It was a hot steamy evening in the mid-july. Chennai has suffered the maximum heat in the past few months and it is the period the summer started declining. Still I can feel that it is hot. In front of that bakery I cannot resist it and my sweat glands were always active. I don't know really is there something called Global Warming or a Climatic Shift as scientists say. How could a climate shift. Ahh, anyway it is Nature, and she is unpredictable. But I was thinking as my father said about Chennai when he was young. A city with more trees less occupied buildings, necessary air-space everything. Wouldn't that be the reason people have felt about Chennai as Heaven those days and when for their need, when they occupied and destroyed almost what is called Nature, making the city more a Concrete Jungle, now the same feel the place as Hell. I was wondering is that the Climatic Shift or Human Thought Shift.

There was a visitor this time, a friend of mine from the South Tamilnadu. Being suffocated with a youngster boy smoking out there he started murmuring

Friend: Nowadays people especially youngsters don't know What is Good and What is Bad. (in a whispering tone) See this fellow is smoking like anything even without knowing the harms of it.

Me: Smoking seems to be a harm for you and not for him, I think so.

Friend: It is because now the society teaches what is not necessary.

Me: I feel What you feel as unnecessary, the people around you or what you called “Society” feels as necessary to be spread.

Friend: Ok, sir. You don't talk indirectly. You tell me what is with these youngsters nowadays. He don't know what is the harm of smoking and not just smoking in all aspects the society is going wrong. We are losing our concerns and culture.

Me: I always talk directly. But people don't understand the real meaning because they are filled with their own opinions. Now teall me sir, leave all these smoking and culture everything, let us take the topic of what you say as “Society”. What do you call as “Society”?

Friend: The people around us. Everything.

Me: The Schools, Colleges, other institutions etc., right?

Friend: Yes

Me: Then what is your part in the society?

Friend: I am also a part of the society.

Me: Just think about it once again my friend. When you were talking before you separated society from you and said “It is not teaching” and now you become part of this society and have you said “we are not teaching”. We always blame others for what is happening around us. We say this that, We identify something as Good and something else as Bad. You see that boy as someone who is doing which you identified as bad. So now tell me if you have identified that as bad then you must be having some scale to measure Good and Bad right? Tell me what is “Good” and what is “Bad”

Friend: It is not that I have identified. Our ancestors, elders have identified something as Good and Bad. Moreover things like this smoking, drinking, roaming around with girls etc., is not suitable for our culture.

Another young friend near me interrupted

“Yes, Anna. These days they do all mischeifs. Go for partying, they swap girl friends, there is no meaning for real relationships nowadays”

Me: Okay. I can understand the depth of cancer spreading here. I am just asking is “this thing called culture” is the measurement scale for what we call as Good and Bad, as our ancestors defined it? Are you calling something as Good and Something else as Bad only because they defined it.

Friend: Sir, I know what you are trying to say. Whatever looks Good for me will look bad to others and vice versa. Is this not you are trying to say?

Me: No, sir. Actually this question of Good and bad has to be put into our mind deeply and questioned. It is not that my parents have said it, my teachers have said it, my grand parents have said it. It is really what we think about “Good and Bad”. Come tell me, is there anything which you and me, he together could call as “Good” deed without thinking about what others are saying about it, even without a slightest idea of it as this or that?

Are you getting what I am saying. Say I am saying something as “Good”, else my “grand parent” have said it as “Good”, then it should deeply be Good for me myself and also for others. If I am going to say “Whatever I do is good for me, then it is likely that I am becoming more selfish and I don't think about others. Isn't it. In that case, some deeds which I do will give greatest pleasures for me, which is the applied result of what we seek from this “Good and Bad”. So what I think good is giving pleasure only for me, enjoyment only for me and not for others. IS that the real goodness in anyway?

The case of boy is that he is seeking some kind of pleasure from smoking, the case of people who are partying, drinking, etc., also the same case. A kind of pleasure which they seek from it. Let us take the case of smoking itself. Now let us question, is smoking really gives pleasure for him or else any other troubles.

Friend: Of course his health.

Me: Right sir. What he thinks as pleasure one or other day will turn to a pain. Even without his knowledge he is accumulating it then. So it is neither fruitful to him nor to others. I am having a girl friend and taking her to party. It is for my enjoyment. But am I thinking about how others will look at my girl or wife. Its not just a house party, a party of friends or something like that. Okay. Tell we are so social, social and friendly enough. Now let us take the point, we are so matured enough to accept our partner as it is. But think there are other people who are not so mature enough, and what I would actually think or feel if my girl/wife is verbally abused atleast. Will we call it good and isn't the fault is with both. The cause of the trouble and the trouble maker. When we walk along this path we will understand that the cause of the trouble which caused the trouble is the trouble itself.

Now let us derive. Why I was not so careful, while I am smoking, consuming alcohol, in the case of women etc., because I see only the external momentary pleasures which brew out of it. Now when I understand these pleasures are not forever and will dissolve into pain, which is pain disguised with pleasure, and we are being the trouble itself, can you tell me, am I not the person who measures Good and Bad, ignoring the fact that I am being the trouble being myself. This begins with me and travels to my neighbors, to society, to nations and so far.

When this case is like this, tell me sir, when a scale which measures is so confused or crippled will it measure the right thing? Yes or No?

Friend: No sir, I can understand. The trouble starts from me.

Me: Yes. And can you say, the trouble being myself, who directly or indirectly is part of all the iniquities of this society, can you say, you can tell this is Good or Bad?

Friend: No, certainly not.

Me: Okay, now again let us start over. When you understand you are being the trouble itself or atleast a part of the trouble, when you realized it can't you atleast try to dissolve it into non-trouble making activities. Wholly. With your heart, no trouble to you yourself, not to your friend, not to your girl/wife, not to anybody. Won't this happen after your remarkable realization, which will happen to human rarely? Won't the mind of yours will try to stop the cause of the trouble or trouble being “myself” that is yourself. Won't it stop the cause.

If it does so, in a state of whole awareness, on what is realized, that we are the reason, if that boy has realized it, he or you won't call it “the society” is troublesome and bad, instead he or you will start changing by “Now” or “Then” at the moment itself.

When that change is visible, would that ever hurt any human including yourself?

Friend: No, how after such realization will it happen.

Me: Yes, there you are my friend. Sir, in such a condition, a state of whole awareness and realization, whatever you do or I do won't be of any harm to ones own self or others – that can be a person standing next to you, a neighbour or even anything else, an animal for example. Won't you call that as Good?

Friend: Certainly sir. That is actually what we mean by “Good”ness.

Me: Okay, again. If I or you do something, which hurts atleast slightly, troubles more deeply psychologically, physiologically, physically. The slightest of it even, without the state of awareness, in simpler terms, like that smoking boy, who is enjoying momentary pleasure and also suffocating others with the troubles of smoke, that is, it affects him and everybody, or it don't affect him but others, won't we call that as Bad?

Friend: Yes, sir, I can understand now, how do we measure Good and Bad. All I know about good now is, my thoughts or actions should not create even a slightest hurt or trouble in others, provided they being doing the same. Then all is well. Isn't it?

Me: Hmm..I think so. But I need everyone to put this argument deeply, if we talk about it so. Good and Bad is not in our eyes or simply actions I believe, it is all about what my deeds are and how it affects me myself and others. We as humans are always seekers of flower beds and forget the thorns beneath that, aren't we?