Good Is a Loaded Word
What is good?
We’ve all heard the saying, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
I listened to this podcast the other day from We Can Do Hard Things.
The Cost of Truth Telling (And Why We Paid It)
This phenomenal episode will uplift you and have you feeling hopeful.
The way these three women show up and take action is a relief to my nervous system.
I am inspired by the way they show up and their imperfections.
The truth-telling makes me smile and feel at home.
The way Amanda describes Trump at the beginning of this episode is flawless.
They are not backing down from freedom of speech; they are doubling down on it, and it changes something in every person who listens.
It takes off layers of fear that tell you to be silent and gives you permission to use your voice, your gifts, and to call out truth.
This is one of the main things keeping my mental health strong when it feels like the world is crumbling.
So what is good?
They ask this question in the podcast, and it’s something I’ve thought about a lot.
Define “good”
Here are the first words that come to mind:
Kind, giving, polite, obedient, reserved.
To be good is to give all of yourself away.
To be good is to never appear angry, upset, or loud.
To be good is to be perfect.
To be good is to follow the rules.
To be seen, not heard.
To create peace where there is chaos.
To do no harm—and by this definition, we are all not good, yet the practice of doing no harm, I would argue, is a good practice.
To be a good daughter means I show up for my siblings even if they don’t show up for me.
It means I hold myself to a higher standard.
To be good means you appear to others to have it all figured out.
I don’t know.
Good is a loaded word.
It can mean too many things.
I think I’d rather be useful than good.
I don’t want to feel as though I’ve wasted time on this Earth with the precious life I have been given.
Sometimes it helps to know what a word means by defining the opposite.
What is “Bad”?
Bad is being lazy. Bad is giving up.
Bad is breaking the law—the same law that protects some and punishes others, not fairly, but unjustly.
Bad is saying what you want.
Bad is being demanding.
Bad is being loud.
Bad is stirring the pot.
Bad is harming someone intentionally—I stand behind this definition.
Anyway, all of this is just food for thought.
Maybe it will spark a conversation online or in person.
Maybe it will spark a writing prompt for you.
I’d love to hear your definitions of good and bad.
All my love!
