I have pondered what I would like to see on my own gravestone. What would others say about me? How would I be remembered?
Here's a few epitaphs that I found and I like:
Spike Milligan:
"I told you I was ill."Winston Churchill:
"I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is ready for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter."Susan B. Anthony:
"Liberty, Humanity, Justice, Equality."Scott Joplin:
"American Composer."St. Peter said of Jesus,
"He went about doing good."Jesus had no tombstone (save the one that was rolled away), but Peter's words would be a fitting epitaph. "He went about doing good" is a fine summary of a life.
It set me wondering, "What would it mean to go about doing good?"
The notion of "good" is quite tricky. It might mean "functionally good," as in a "good wrench." It's good because it works well. But, it also might be something that we intuit about something that makes the something the best it can be of that something. The good is that which we value about something. I'm writing this enjoying a good cup of tea. What make's my tea "good"? It's brewed just right, it's a good temperature, it's flavorful, it's soothing, it has many associations of happy times. Yet, there is a certain je ne sais quoi. It's quite difficult to say what makes something good.
So, what could it mean to "go about doing good"?
Here's a confluence of ideas to think about.
For Greek philosopher Aristotle the supreme good was a life of well-being, of thriving. That might help. To go about doing good might be to seek the well-being, the thriving of everyone we interact with. For me that would include all humans and non-humans—all sentient beings. That is, seeking the well-being for every one I interact with who feels pleasure or pain.
Is this a little circular? Have I substituted "well-being" for "good," giving us the same issue of "what do you mean by well-being"? Here's a clue to move us along. Sentient beings (those who feel pleasure or pain) have an interest in feeling pleasure and in not feeling pain. Well-being, thriving, then, would be a life where pleasure is maximized and pain in minimized. Pleasure is "good." Pain is "bad."
The second clue. In western moral philosophy there are a few basic ethical ideas that seem to be baseline. The four most important are beneficence, nonmaleficence, respect for autonomy, and justice. Beneficence is seeking the good of the Other. Nonmaleficence is not harming the Other. Respect for autonomy means that you respect the individuality and integrity of the Other and her concerns, desires, and needs. Justice requires that you seek a fair deal for the Other. To go about doing good would include all these ideas.
The third clue comes from eastern philosophy and the idea of ahimsa (an idea beloved of M.K. Gandhi). Ahimsa, though literally meaning "non-harm" is a more full concept (much like the Jewish idea of Shalom). Ahimsa is now often translated into English as "nonviolence." Ahimsa—nonviolence—includes not doing harm to the Other, but also doing good toward the other.
Putting all these ideas together, going about doing good might mean to seek the well-being and thriving of all sentient beings by seeking their good (pleasure) and avoiding their harm (pain), with great respect and mindful of justice, in a life characterized by ahimsa, by nonviolence.
All of that might just be too much to put on a gravestone! So, think I would settle for "he went about doing good." Not a bad epitaph to aspire to!
+Ab. Andy