Think About It

One of the most often touted phrases in modern society is “No good deed ever goes unpunished”. The essence of this statement (and the cynicism that accompanies it) is that it feels like when we set out to do good, someone is going to take exception to it. As I have thought about this statement lately, I got to wondering why we feel that way? Shouldn’t we feel good about doing good? I wonder if the issue is that we expect the world to see things the way that we see them. All humans have some form of tunnel vision – we can’t help it. While we can try to empathize with others, we can only have our own worldview. So, how do we overcome this form of pessimism? The answer is to keep doing good for good’s sake. As long as we do what we should be doing, we shouldn’t be deflated by comments that are less than flattering. The wise man of the Old Testament noted, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” (Proverbs 3:27). Hang in there. Su