The Measure of Goodness
How should we determine" goodness" in
our lives? What constitutes goodness? The movie
Chocolat
has focused my thought on what goodness involves. Is goodness only approached
in a positive manner or can there be a negative approach to achieving
goodness?
In Chocolat we find a small French village in which the people are highly influenced by one man. The mayor of the community sets the standards by which the people abide. He greets the townspeople at the door of the church at Sunday mass. He visits the businesses and informs the clerks, employees and customers of "things" they should know and how they should think about others in the town.
Several scenes in the movie show his will and determination to avoid temptation. He prides himself in being able to refrain from certain actions. To him his abstinence is proof of his goodness. He has high personal standards achieved by what he doesn't do and by whom he doesn't approve.
He entire life is changed, as is the life of the village, by the arrival of a young woman and her daughter. This woman opens a chocolate shop and nothing will remain the same in the village from that day forward.
Further change is precipitated when "river rats" arrive and camp at the edge of town. These people are to be shunned according to the mayor. He directs that they are not to be associated with, they are to be excluded.
Finally the young priest, Père Henri, becomes his own person and write his Easter mass homily without the aid of the Mayor. It is the sermon which has caused me for the first time to really address the concept of "goodness". In part he said:
"I think we can't go 'round measuring our goodness by what we don't do, what we resist and who we exclude. I thing we've got to measure goodness by what we embrace and who we include."
What A Truth. In his first sentence he is speaking of goodness achieved negatively. "I won't do this, then I'll be filled with goodness." "I'll resist that, then I'll know goodness." "I won't talk to them, then I'll be a person of goodness."
Note the difference in the positive approach of his second sentence. Here goodness is embraced. There is no need for denial and resistance. Now we embrace the qualities which inspire goodness. There is not struggle to endure. There is no "evil" to fight, for we are committed to the quality of goodness. We see it naturaly. We embrace it. And when we encounter those in our community we reach out and include then in our lives. This reminds me of the thought, "He drew a circle which left me out, but I made a circle which drew him in."
Surely on September 11, 2001 our attention was drawn to Père Henri's words. In our small community it is time for those who influence our attitudes toward each other to cease drawing circles which exclude some community members. Let us call upon those few to begin drawing circles which include all members of our community, thus allowing us to embrace goodness.
WE'VE GOT TO MEASURE GOODNESS BY WHAT WE EMBRACE AND WHO WE INCLUDE.
In Chocolat we find a small French village in which the people are highly influenced by one man. The mayor of the community sets the standards by which the people abide. He greets the townspeople at the door of the church at Sunday mass. He visits the businesses and informs the clerks, employees and customers of "things" they should know and how they should think about others in the town.
Several scenes in the movie show his will and determination to avoid temptation. He prides himself in being able to refrain from certain actions. To him his abstinence is proof of his goodness. He has high personal standards achieved by what he doesn't do and by whom he doesn't approve.
He entire life is changed, as is the life of the village, by the arrival of a young woman and her daughter. This woman opens a chocolate shop and nothing will remain the same in the village from that day forward.
Further change is precipitated when "river rats" arrive and camp at the edge of town. These people are to be shunned according to the mayor. He directs that they are not to be associated with, they are to be excluded.
Finally the young priest, Père Henri, becomes his own person and write his Easter mass homily without the aid of the Mayor. It is the sermon which has caused me for the first time to really address the concept of "goodness". In part he said:
"I think we can't go 'round measuring our goodness by what we don't do, what we resist and who we exclude. I thing we've got to measure goodness by what we embrace and who we include."
What A Truth. In his first sentence he is speaking of goodness achieved negatively. "I won't do this, then I'll be filled with goodness." "I'll resist that, then I'll know goodness." "I won't talk to them, then I'll be a person of goodness."
Note the difference in the positive approach of his second sentence. Here goodness is embraced. There is no need for denial and resistance. Now we embrace the qualities which inspire goodness. There is not struggle to endure. There is no "evil" to fight, for we are committed to the quality of goodness. We see it naturaly. We embrace it. And when we encounter those in our community we reach out and include then in our lives. This reminds me of the thought, "He drew a circle which left me out, but I made a circle which drew him in."
Surely on September 11, 2001 our attention was drawn to Père Henri's words. In our small community it is time for those who influence our attitudes toward each other to cease drawing circles which exclude some community members. Let us call upon those few to begin drawing circles which include all members of our community, thus allowing us to embrace goodness.
WE'VE GOT TO MEASURE GOODNESS BY WHAT WE EMBRACE AND WHO WE INCLUDE.
Posted: Fri - December 30, 2005 at 08:56 AM
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"Chance favors only the prepared mind." - Louis Pasteur
"Art arises from basic needs-a strong need to express and celebrate our everyday events.
In a museum most people spend less than twenty seconds looking at a work of art."
"Art arises from basic needs-a strong need to express and celebrate our everyday events.
In a museum most people spend less than twenty seconds looking at a work of art."
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Published On: Jan 01, 2006 08:59 AM
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Published On: Jan 01, 2006 08:59 AM