What is Good?

The definition of a “good person” is a theme that can be discuss about for hours. And yet, not come up with a conclusion that everyone can agree with. Well, also in the book of Confucius the definition of “good” is discussed. For example in chapter 4:6,

“The Master said, ‘I have yet to meet a person who truly loved Goodness or hated a lack of Goodness. One who truly loved Goodness could not be surpassed, while on who truly hated a lack of Goodness would at least be able to act in a Good fashion, as he would not tolerate that which is not Good being associated with his person.’
‘Is there a person who can, for the space of a single day, simply devote his efforts to Goodness? I have never met anyone whose strength was insufficient for this task. Perhaps such a person exists, but I have yet to meet him.’ “

Actually, this part of the chapter is not talking about the definition of goodness but about humans’ influence on each other. I think what the first part is saying is similar to the saying that goes like, “revenge only produces more revenge.” A negative feeling will never be able to produce anything positive. But positive attitudes have all sorts of possibilities.
What I have interpreted from the second part of this chapter is; what is important is the continuation of whatever thing you are doing. I mean, Master is saying that everyone can start doing a thing. But it is an ability, to finish the thing you are doing. I personally think that this is hard. This continuation requires patience for a long time. And patience for a long time is one of my weak points I need to overcome.


As a closure, I would like to talk about this metaphor used in the analects which I liked. It comes form chapter 6: 17, “The Master said, ‘Who is able to leave a room without going out through the door? How is it, then, that no one follows this Way?’” It shows how Master thinks that the “way” is something so easy to do and hard to not do. It seems that the “way” is the door to the room, which probably represents something similar to heaven in the bible and illumination in Buddhism.