What is the definition of a good person? A good person is one, who is empathetic, compassionate, treats other persons with respect and is nonjudgmental. What are the characteristics one looks for in such an individual?

• Honesty: Being truthful and genuine with yourself and others.
• Kindness: Showing goodness and compassion in one’s actions and intentions.
• Compassion: Feeling concern for the struggles of others and acting on that concern.
• Integrity: Adhering to strong moral and ethical principles.
• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
• Reliability: Being dependable and trustworthy so others can count on you.
• Respect: Treating others with consideration and valuing their perspective.
• Gratitude: Recognizing and appreciating the good things in life.
• Self-control: Managing your emotions and impulses in a healthy way.
• Thoughtfulness: Considering the needs, feelings and circumstances of those around you.

It is a long list of traits and being good is really a hard job. Would you agree with this statement? Practicing one trait will lead to the birth of the other virtues.

I never judge anyone because I am nonjudgemental. Am I truthfully so? It is a difficult question to answer. The list is very long and how do we change ourselves? None of us is bad and then if we call someone bad, are we not judging them? Do we really know why that person is behaving in this way? Compassion is a wonderful quality, and one can never be short of it. In order to be good, we just need to become aware, reflective and to tread kindly on this path.

Compassion and kindness

How do you feel when you see an individual, who is in pain or in need? My Guru said that one must feel sorry for this person. One should try to do something if one can. Lastly if one sees a beggar, give him a coin or feel sad and turn away. Feel you must and not think that he is a lazy fellow or have other negative thoughts about him.

I have three personal stories to share with you, dear ones.

When I was working, I would drive to work. I carried my lunch with me. One day at a traffic light a beggar asked me for money. I gave him my lunch. He looked at it and frowned. It was roti wrap with vegetables. Then he said that it had no fat in it and it was only fit for a cow. There was an amiable cow close by, he gave my lunch to the cow. I bought sandwiches at the hospital where I worked.

I kept biscuits and bread in my car to give to children and women. One day at the community center, I had a loaf of bread with me, and I was giving the kids bread. A beggar (man) came along, and he said to the kids, throw it away, you have no sauce to eat it with. Of course, they ran away with the slices as they had no intentions of not eating the bread.

One day, when it was very cold, we saw a boy at the traffic lights wearing only shorts. He also did not have one arm. I came the next evening and gave him a warm coat. It was my son’s scholar blazer, which he had got in school. My husband said that was foolish as he would not wear it. It so happened we passed him the next day, and he was not wearing the coat.

Wonderful to see

The last story is different. I would see a leper woman every day, when I went to work. I gave her clothes and tried to enable her. She lived in a home for lepers. It was wonderful to see her every day as she would smile and bless me.

Being good is an ongoing process for all of us. The best way is to take Swami Sivananda’s words to heart, practice Atmabhava (love for fellow beings) and love, serve and give.

Aim Hrim Klim

Foto von Atul Pandey auf Unsplash