What is goodness?

Well, how does one define ‘goodness’, and what exactly is goodness? Indeed it’s a whit difficult to delineate the aspect of goodness. But nevertheless, there are some human qualities, which could be easily equated with goodness. For one, dispelling sorrow and radiating happiness around is a form of goodness. A sure-fire way of spreading happiness is via helping others. The ‘type of help’ that one can proffer others, could be compartmentalised in three categories - physical, financial and emotional help.

In the case of physical help, a jot of your body energy is expended on the person you’re helping. Here, one can quote the instance of the non-pareil phenomenon, Mother Theresa, who used to indulge in benevolent acts like feeding the sick with morsels of food, nursing the wounds of a leper and many more such things. She, with her singular goodness and selfless service, had spread supreme happiness among the less-privileged. Of course, lending a helping hand when you see someone toting a heavy luggage, or grappling with an arduous energy-sapping task, could also be a kind of physical help.

Talking of financial help, yet another form of goodness, here one ought to possess oodles of munificent nature, coupled with caring attitude. Since ‘generosity’ can never co-exist with ‘self-centered and apathetic’ attitude. One can financially help the less-fortunate beings, residing in homes meant for physically-debilitated aged persons, orphans, mentally challenged beings, et al, who are in need of finances. In fact, there are some altruistic humans, who are so open-handed that they barter away their own comforts for the joy of others. Truly, this is the acme of goodness.

Now, regarding emotional help, one can help others by proffering emotional support through soothing words. Actually, one can offer incredible solace to mentally-clobbered people, only by listening to their outpourings. Even gestures conveying wishes to someone on special occasions to show how important/special they are, can give them loads of happiness. In fact, there are few people, who try instilling joy and mirth in others’ life, though their own lives would be fraught with misery! Indeed, such humans personify goodness.

Finally, the real goodness manifests itself in one, who refrains from harming or hurting others. This harming could be physical, as also mental - i.e., by inflicting pain on others with barbed words, waspish comments, etc. And harming someone could be by stymieing their success/happiness, thus causing despair to them. So, being empathic and kind-hearted is kind of synonymous to being good, not only towards fellow human beings, but also towards animals.