The Power and Promise of Humane Education
Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times
Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs
So, You Love Animals: An Action-Packed, Fun-Filled Book to Help Kids Help Animals
The other morning I took a walk along the rocky beach by our house. I sat on a rock for awhile watching what I thought was a seal sunning herself on a rock with a crow standing by her. But after a very long time with only the crow moving, and not the seal, I decided that I was watching a crow by a rock atop a rock, rather than a seal. But then the seal moved, and I realized that I’d been right the first time, only now I realized there was no crow. The movement of the “crow” had actually been the movement of the seal’s head, which was darker than her body. Are you with me?
We’re so sure of ourselves. So sure we’re right. And when we change our minds, we’re sure we’re right about that, too. And then when we’re shown to be wrong, we blithely accept our mistake and we’re sure we’re right the next time.
The nice thing about the MOGO principle is that you never have to be right; you just have to persevere, commit to the 3 I’s of inquiry, introspection, and integrity and make choices that do the most good and the least harm to the best of your ability. It’s quite a relief to know that with MOGO as a guide you can choose differently tomorrow based on new information and deeper reflection. It’s also a relief to know that every person offers you the possibility to learn anew so that your choices can become even more MOGO. And finally, it’s a relief to know that while you won’t always be right, you’ll always be good.
~ Zoe
Filed under: MOGO (Most Good), positive choices | Tagged: beliefs, MOGO, perceptions, positive choices
The journey to living a truly good and competent life is often long and complicated, with many missteps, and that is OK. We are allowed to mess up. We are allowed to make mistakes. It’s OK, I have permission to make mistakes, and so long as I chose to engage in serious introspection, I am likely to learn something useful from my mistake, and I can then use that lesson to make more competent and productive decisions in the future.
Jesus said “Seek and you shall find,” which I think means exactly what it says. Seek a good path. Try to live a good life. Look for ways to live in a good and productive manner, and so long as you keep looking, honestly, with true intention, you will find ways to live in a good and wholesome manner, even if there are numerous bumps on the road before you actually get there.
“Goodness” itself is something which must be defined, because we have abused and misused the word “good” so frequently in our society, that we can no longer accurately define “Good.”
“Good” is what brings you a state of inner peace, contentment, and an innate understanding that you have done the right thing, whether or not anyone else defines it as “good.”