Why be a good person? It’s an interesting question. At first glance, the answer seems clear-cut. Most of us want to be good because it’s part of what makes us who we are. It’s almost like we were born with a mechanism that guides us morally. Some call that our soul. Some call that the orienting reflex. Some call that our conscience.

Being good seems not only to be the “right” decision, but also the most intelligent decision. If we want to survive and thrive in a society, then being a manipulating piece of garbage won’t get us very far. We’ll have problems with the police. We’ll have problems with the law. We’ll have problems with the other members of our society. I believe this discussion on morality is important in the seduction realm as well.

One of the most primal instincts that we have as humans is the desire for belongingness and love.

There’s a reason that Abraham Maslow has this desire as part of his hierarchy of needs. How can one belong in a society and be loved by the people around them if they are not good?

Being good is also helpful in business.

For those of us who live in the West, capitalism and entrepreneurship are some of the values that our society holds dear. The way entrepreneurship works is rather simple; solve problems, create solutions, and provide value. All of these components of entrepreneurship are in nature “good”. Of course, not everyone who is successful in business is good. There are a lot of shady and bad businesspeople. With that being said, providing value is at the crux of what makes someone a good entrepreneur.

We see already that being a good person feels good, is helpful when it comes to business, is helpful when it comes to people and is helpful when it comes to our overall health. It’s almost like being good is both selfish and selfless.

Here’s a metaphor that has played an important role in my thinking:

Your character and your integrity are like a glass of water. The water is clean, clear, pure and transparent. What happens if a drop of poison or a drop of blood falls into the glass? One drop contaminates the entire water. It’s for that reason that a small lie or a small bad deed is not always so small. Doing things that are wrong, even if they may appear not to be a big deal, slowly contaminate your entire character and your entire body of work. I believe it was Jordan Peterson who first introduced me to this idea.

Living a life of lying, cheating, and other bad deeds will eventually catch up to you.

Everything comes out one day. Some like to call it karma. Some like to call it the legal system. Some like to call it heaven and hell. I like to view it like this: if we’re bad, then we’re not only hurting the people around us, but we’re also hurting ourselves. Where is the meaning in that? It goes against every instinct that we have. Abraham Maslow has “self-actualization” at the top of his pyramid of needs. How can one ever reach anything close to that if we are constantly doing things that are wrong? It’s not possible.

Here’s a quote from philosopher and write Fyodor Dostoevsky that I’ve always liked:

“Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” I believe this quote can be applied not only to lying, but also to all other types of wrong deeds.

Final thoughts.

Being good is not easy. There have been a lot of wars and suffering throughout history. Humans are quite malleable. A bad childhood, or bad genetics can lead people to become monsters. There is a lot of evil in the world. With that being said, I believe humans are capable of a lot good. Being a moral and ethical person, being good, being kind, and helping others will not only make the world a more beautiful place, but it will also be good for ourselves; it feels good, it’s a meaningful process and it leads to continual self-improvement.

Why dirty your soul? Why dirty that clear water? Embrace goodness and allow it to make you a better person. Let’s be good. Let’s be helpful. Let’s be kind. Let’s be understanding. Let’s improve ourselves. Let’s improve our communities. Let’s improve our world. Meaning is always more important than short-term detrimental pleasure. Let’s not allow drops of poison or blood to mess with our clear water.