Let's put aside, for a moment, trying to build hard definitions of what is good and what is evil. Assume, for the purposes of this discussions, that there is something called good, and actions can be labeled as good or evil or even in-between. You may still hold that good/evil are temporary, dependant on the conditions on the socity, but assume that there is a concept of good
now. (If you think there is no such thing as good/evil, then there's no point in discussing how one is good, right? ;-).)
So take your definition of good. How does one best apply it in the real world? A lot of people say you need to be
active, and they would have a good point. Great change has been affected by those who have decided to take public office or approach things from a more grass roots level. Lobbying, petitioning, protesting, or marching -- these can be seen as the things that can change society for the better (and has).
Personally, I feel that this may be good for some people, but not for everyone, and at times is not the most effective. I think you can shout yourself hoarse and not get anywhere. My feeling is that if you put all your effort into creating a better situation for friends, for your family, affecting changes in their livelihoods and your own, you accomplish much more than the protestor with a ski-mask in the picket line. I especially like this quote from Timothy Burke's
commencement speech at Swarthmore:
Quote:
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It is harder in some ways day in and day out to be a good father, a good friend, a good lover, a good teacher, a good colleague than it is to minister to thousands of lepers or airlift food supplies to a famine-stricken region.
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What do you think? How do you apply your values in real life? Do you do it at all?