Do good people deserve good things?

First, let's define "good." We mostly use the word to refer to people who are kind, thoughtful, nice, and helpful where they can be. Often, we use it to even mean people who go out of their way to help others, even when maybe that wouldn't be best for them.

In other words, we use the word "good" when we should use the words "nice" or even "harmless." Except (despite what we've been encouraged to believe, they are not necessarily synonymous).

If we're being literal here, "good" should mean someone who strives towards the highest imaginable good in their lives. In order for me to do good things, I must first identify the highest, broadest "good" I can reasonably aim towards.

Given my personality and talents, it wouldn't be reasonable to aim towards curing cancer, say. Though few would argue about the goodness of that. Indeed, few things are higher.

A more reasonable good for me personally would be an existence in which I am able to help and support those around me while also hopefully creating meaningful things through my actions and perhaps nurturing children with love, wisdom and stability.

In order for me to be capable of that, though, I require many things. I need respect, secure relationships, freedom, and a continued pursuit of wisdom. I need to be able to grow and exist freely without being forced to compromise my integrity or my safety.

And for that to happen, I need to do a bunch of things. I need to

• define my own boundaries and respect them (and make sure others do, also);
• conduct myself in a manner that is honest and aims for the least possible harm to myself and others;
• learn to protect myself from dangerous or abusive situations;
• choose what is fair over what is easy.

I need to do a whole number of things that might not make me a very nice person, and if we go back to our conventional vernacular, that would also imply I am not a good person.

So then, if I conduct myself in such a way that would allow me to pursue the highest possible good, if I disavow myself of this skewed definition of "goodness," what do I deserve?

Well, personally, I'm not a big fan of this concept of "deserving." I don't really think I deserve more (or less) than you reading this. But as long as we're trying to be logical, going from A to B will often mean you arrive at (or at least closer to) B. Aiming for the highest possible good will then suggest you come closer to it.

But then, why do so many conventionally "good" people receive so many terrible things? By the same logic, we can trace back their progress from these misfortunes and uncover perverted aims.

Nice people do not aim towards the highest good. They aim towards the least damage. Except, as many will tell you, even the least damage in some lives can be quite terrible.

Peace-keepers don't aim towards good either, but towards avoiding conflict, which often ends up making situations much worse.

Harmless people, finally, don't aim towards good either. They only hope to sneak past the goons unscathed, except in our world, this is unlikely.

Misfortunes and bullies are guaranteed without us inviting more of them into our lives. I may well aim not to harm anyone, but that doesn't mean I will escape unmolested. Often, it means the opposite.

I may be a sweet, nice person, which would reasonably entitle me to sweet, nice things. A path that far too often leads right up to the door of the gingerbread house itself.

I find myself often at this crossroads. I can continue being nice, sweet, and agreeable, but having acknowledged all of this, I know those are not the outcomes I seek. And since we've come this far already, perhaps past the point of turning back, why not aim for the truly good things that, in our hearts, we believe we deserve?