“Of all virtues and dignities of the mind, goodness is the greatest, being the character of the Deity; and without it, man is a busy, mischievous, wretched thing.” So says Bacon. Goodness consists not in the outward things we do, but in the inward thing we are. This is what makes life and that is how to find meaning to life in abundance.  To be good is the great thing. 

“True goodness springs from a man’s own heart” in the words of Confucius. The teaching of Jesus that what makes or defile a man come from the heart is true as Confucius stated here. No one can be good if not from within. It is a virtue that is developed with time. You cannot become good over night. It takes a consistent and determined heart to be good. “Goodness is love in action, love with its hand to the plow, love with the burden on its back, love following his footsteps who went about continually doing good” says Hamilton.

There are benefits in doing good and being good. “When good men die their goodness does not perish, but lives though they are gone” as Euripides noted. It pays to be good. You may be ridiculed or abused in a bid to be good. Never mind, Goodness is the only investment that never fails. Doing good gives pleasure and that prompted Lamb to note that “The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by accident.”

In the words of Pennington, “No amount of good deeds can make us good persons. We must be good before we can do good.” It is only great souls that know how much glory there is in being good. The heart of a good man is the sanctuary of God. God dwells in the heart of a good man that is why he is prompt to goodness for all good things come from God. Are good and do you love being good? There is nothing so fulfilling in life than seeing those you have imparted bobbling with life. Cultivate the habit of doing good and being good for its benefits far outweighs the disadvantage that you may think of.