“A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.”
Albert Einstein

The human spirit is not dead. It lives on in secret... It has come to believed that compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.-” Albert Schweitzer

In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so.” Immanuel Kant quotes

The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth. To make a goal of comfort or happiness has never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.” Albert Einstein

A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.” Albert Camus

You do not know our culture, our ethics, or the unwritten codes that already provide our society more order than could be obtained by any of your impositions.” John Perry Barlow

Good or bad? Is this that easy? Why do we differ in our opinion on very same subject? Is there anything that determines this inference of good or bad?

A cognitive psychologist will argue this is our previous experiences that determine our perception and interpretation of subject. A religious leader will say it is the sacred writings that make decision on goodness. A statesman will say it is the common purpose that determines goodness. What about the cultural dimension of goodness? Can culture determine goodness? Are we not confused?

In human interaction we always face the challenge to differ between good and bad. And when we fail to do it right, we are in trouble. Philosophers argue to define goodness. But we are not here to argue the complexity, we are common people and we need a simple answer. We are here to get some good understanding about what is good and what is not. This understanding will help us making a choice to bring us wellbeing.

Good is what is Godly. The sacred writings of all religions and faiths have some guidance on what is good. We may follow any one of them or in combinations.

Good is what is natural. This neutrality speaks of human nature. It’s natural to expect that everybody speaks and practice truth. So the truthfulness is good.

Good is what makes us happy. This happiness needs to be of greater number of people. If only I become happy but at the cost of many other people’s happiness then that’s not good. That’s selfishness and selfishness is not good. Good has to have common purpose. Good should lead us to the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

Good is what gives people respect and dignity. Good treats people as God. If a particular expression treats people as a thing rather than person then that expression is not good.

Examples of good can be- truthfulness, courage, self control, benevolence, sincerity, diligence, humbleness, wisdom, compassion, honesty, mercy, generosity etc.

We must remember that we have simplified the definition of good. In reality the understanding and application of good can be very challenging. Because in this universe there is no such thing called absolute rule. Our understanding of good is influenced by our culture and our value system. What may appear good in one culture may not be so in other culture. And this is called moral relativism. And that is why it’s so important for us to train our mind everyday and on every occasion to develop a discerning mind. And that is wisdom. To search for wisdom is an ongoing journey.

We are still in search for right answer in number of issues like abortions, euthanasia, in-vitro fertilization, killings of babies and children with genetic disorders etc. We are still divided to justify the use of force and violence to stop another force and violence. And this conflict is called moral conflict or dilemma. There are many such dilemmas in personal or group level those we face in our life. They are challenging situations and do have the potentiality to lead us to danger. In those situations it’s wise to ask help from wise man or to ask help from divine guidance. But one simple truth is that we must always choose common good over individual good.