A good idea? Abigail Maxwell on a confused concept

‘The idea of good, or behaving according to the rules, might be the thorns which choke the seed of God within us.’

by Abigail Maxwell 15th April 2022

‘Good’ is a confused concept. Sometimes, it is harmful.

‘You do not have to be good,’ wrote the poet Mary Oliver. But children want to be good, to please their parents. It gives a sense of safety. Too many people retain this into adulthood. If I think I can discern the rules of a social situation, and conform to them, it still gives me an illusory sense of safety. I become a people-pleaser, always in a mask, not expressing my authentic self. I become anxious: will I be found out? Still, I catch myself seeking safety in this way.