on goodness

'the good heart which is the fruit of virtue is by itself a great benefit to humanity. mere knowledge is not.'

to begin, a few definitions: virtue - (n) a quality of character that contains in it the choosing of goodness or good acts; a vital aspect of good (as opposed to evil). good - 1.(n) an act of kindness or performance of some charity 2.(adv) to be pleasing and behave in a manner opposite of bad or evil. knowledge - (n) to have a certain intelligence regarding any number of subjects, whether innate or enhanced by studying.

granted, these definitions are mine and are assuredly not correct by webster standards, but they will aid in a more thorough understanding of the following thoughts. in regards to the above quote, i concur that knowledge alone is not enough to make significant or lasting change when the subject is humanity and the goal is positive change in that subject. some may argue that significant change has occurred with the knowledge of a miser, who has no interest other than his own at heart. a counter-argument is posed that this 'significant' change is not really significant at all when compared to change that occurs when knowledge is combined with goodness. here, the littlest change could be multiplied exponentially if performed by someone with the interests of humanity at heart. undoubtedly, this heartfelt individual includes like-minded people as well, which only furthers the benefit to humankind. as for the first part of the quote, when read initially, I disagreed with the statement 'good heart'. i do not see evidence that the human heart is naturally good. we are constantly struggling to be kind, to forgive, to include others, to be thoughtful, to give up our share of the cake. on the other hand, it is quite a simple thing to become upset, to hold a grudge, to be selfish, to indulge ourselves. or perhaps I speak only for myself. that said, after considering the remainder of the quote, i see that it does not imply that the heart is good on its own, but that a good heart is a result of virtue. virtue contains good - it is not a product of goodness. it is the virtue of a person that leads to the good deeds that are done, rather than virtue flowing from the natural good of a person. that is not to say virtue is easily come by. on the contrary, it is a characteristic that must be honed and guarded against the temptation of cheating, selfish ambition, greed and the like. but when it is cared for and regularly practiced, much good comes of it and benefits those who come in contact with it. and this is virtue of itself. when this virtue aids in the creation of the heart intent upon good, and is combined with knowledge, then there is the great possibility for remarkable change to occur. knowledge on its own is weak and goodness, though powerful in isolation, can result in the saving of humanity if used as a catalyst for knowledge.

this is a response of mine to a quote given to me by a fellow volunteer. please feel free to leave comments, arguments, or suggestions.