Doing Good vs. Doing Well
(and your humanity)
The saddest love story from Greek mythology has an interesting parallel with a story from the Bible.
Orpheus was a musician whose wife was bitten by a snake. She dies and goes to the Underworld. Using the power of his music, Orpheus follows her to the Underworld and persuades Hades to allow her to return with him to the land of the living. The only caveat is that he must walk in front of her and not look back until they’re out of the Underworld. Almost home free, Orpheus, in a moment of doubt, looks back to make sure she’s still there. He gets a quick glimpse of her before his love is snatched back into death, never to return.
You don’t have to be a biblical scholar to see the similarity to the story from Genesis of Lot’s wife. Escaping the destruction of Sodom, she was forbidden to look back at the city. When she did, she was turned into a pillar of salt.
These stories are warnings to obey, to have patience, and not to waver during difficult times. In other words, deny your humanity. Everyone looks back. We wonder about the road not taken.
Last night I had a bout of insomnia as I perseverated over stabbing three fools with whom I attended high school. (Don’t worry about it. They’re three provinces away, so they’re safe.)
When you live in dangerous times, it’s natural to watch your six, distrust authority’s demands, and defy their decrees. We are emotional mammals, and it’s perfectly logical to distrust an authority that repeatedly makes it clear that they do not care about you. They certainly don’t care more about you than you care about yourself. It’s called a survival instinct.
It is a common misconception that having power or wealth automatically makes someone good. There is plenty of evidence to the contrary. Many can’t seem to understand the distinction between DOING WELL (i.e., money and power) and DOING GOOD (making choices that benefit people).
Kindness is not weakness. Kindness and cooperation are civilization’s origin and a society’s greatest strength. Sadly, some misguided folks will always vote for evil because they mistake it for strength. This is one reason why simple messages and easy, but wrong, solutions win votes. Solving actual problems is complex.
If we look to a brighter and more hopeful future with that in mind, maybe we’ll have less cause to look backward.
