GOODNESS PAYS

Life has taught Jamuna Rangachari that doing good selflessly can spread love and happiness, to say nothing of the unexpected blessings showered upon us by the Universe

- Jamuna Rangachari

Most of us live life from a defensive standpoint. We first ensure safety precautions before embarking on any work or project. We give plenty of instructions to our daughters if they are travelling alone and get anxious if we are unable to contact them due to any reason. We picture the worst-case scenario and start praying to God to ensure their safe return. We have little faith in the goodness and nobility of people and believe, without a doubt, that the world is an evil place. But if the world has to become a better place, isn’t the onus on us to make it happen? The problem is that we feel that our good actions alone cannot make a difference in society. Our faith in the ripple effect created by our one good act is minuscule. Hence, when the former editor-in-chief of Life Positive, Suma Varughese, wrote a Facebook post about the power of goodness, I was forced to think.

She said, “I like to write about the power of goodness as often as I can because I am often confronted by people who believe themselves to be powerless in the face of the many evils throttling our present society. They do not believe that their own actions, feeble as they may be, can influence society in any way. But, to them, I say, who else is there? If we can do the right thing in our own lives, who knows how we might inspire and transform the world? Almost all great movements and reformations were led by one man. Gandhiji was just one man. So was Buddha. Or Jesus Christ. Look at the enduring influence that these three souls have been able to command, not just in their lifetime but up to the present moment.