To Be of Good Use | Teen Ink

To Be of Good Use

November 23, 2011
By sweetdreamsmylove GOLD, Glendale, California
sweetdreamsmylove GOLD, Glendale, California
10 articles 1 photo 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
“All are architects of fate, living in these walls of time.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


One who is good but does nothing to add to society is the equivalent of one who is not good at all. Some people sit around and expect the world to change for the better; others take action and do something about it. Being a good person is not enough in life. One can be a good person simply towards the people around them, but that does not change the future. The good that one does should be considered to be a good deed when it has changed something for better in society.

There are more than six billion people in the world right now, six billion souls. If at least half of the people on Earth do something for the other three billion, the world as we know it would change. We would prosper and grow into a society where evil exists only in television shows and movies because evil only prevails when good people do not contribute in making society a better place to live. The ideal world is possible if people reach out to achieve it. If people sit down and expect others to change the world for them, then no change will ever occur. One cannot and should not wait for change to occur, one should be the change that one expects to see in the world.

People are always in need of help. Whether it be simple things such as crossing the street or bigger things such as fighting for a cause, people need help. If one cannot be helpful and useful for a cause, then their goodness is wasteful. One cannot truly be a good person if one does not try to be of any assistance. If one does not sacrifice some of the things one enjoys to help others in need, their otherwise righteousness is not enough. They should be willing to help people even when one is not asked. That is what being good is all about: doing something for someone or something without being asked. Anyone can be asked to be good for something, but those that go beyond the norm and morality by doing things out of the goodness of their hearts are the true helpers of society.

One should always aim above their already good behavior. Trying to be a better person than one already is shows how strong one may be internally. It takes power and effort to try to be a good person. Some would much rather continue with the typical ways of society because it takes less effort than to be a better person. So, to be virtuous means to go beyond what others are already doing. Try to flourish within and effect others while going above the acts of the standard community. Do not be placed in the same level as everyone else. Achieve more than the bare minimum, and do better things for your community than you thought you could have done. One should never underestimate themselves and what they are capable of doing for others. Make a positive change in society while going beyond what you would expect from yourself.

Do not expect the world to change if you do nothing about it. There is so much that people can do in society to help it become a better and safer place. Therefore, being a good person is not enough. Change what needs to be changed without relying on others. Help friends and strangers with the simple and complicated hardships in their lives. Exceed the average ethical behavior of civilization to truly do good. Be a good person and do good things to be a better individual in the short time we are given to live our lives.

The author's comments:
Inspired by “Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.” -Henry David Thoreau

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