Goodness

The word ‘goodness’ has overpowered me. I googled its meaning, driven by some unexplained rumbling deep within. It beats me why, because the word is quite unambiguous and simple, or so it seems?

Goodness is sweet like unprocessed honey. It feels like a light that shines within, leaving a glow in its wake.

It is also a lot more…

Merriam-Webster defines goodness as

• the quality or state of being good;
• the nutritious, flavorful, or beneficial part of something.

Now let’s look at its synonyms to understand its essence, in all its glory.

• character – the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation
• decency – conformity to standards of taste, propriety, or quality
• honesty – fairness and straightforwardness of conduct
• integrity – the state of being complete or whole
• morality – conformity to ideals of right human conduct
• probity – adherence to the highest principles and ideals
• rectitude – the quality or state of being correct in judgment or procedure
• righteousness – acting in accord with divine or moral law; free from guilt or sin
• rightness – conforming to facts or truth
• uprightness – marked by strong moral rectitude
• virtue – a beneficial quality or power of a thing; a capacity to act
• virtuousness/chaste – pure in thought and act

When I read the sheer substance that goodness lugs along, it humanises me. I go through some emotions and strange experiences. The meanings assume a form that stands supreme within the theatre of my being, having a life of its own, waiting to be hugged. The words grow, collide and jostle, bringing forth noises, images, and voices from within my existence. It is eerie, this confluence. Darkness and light dance thunderously as I grapple with myself, hopelessly split in two. I recall events and happenings with people of my world. As I do, the words begin tolling like temple bells – its haunting, melodic sound echoing deep within, its purifying impact, never so gloriously apparent.

I am on the brink, yet wanting to fall.

This is no enlightenment, no kundalini moment. I am a puny human, far from grace, unblessed. This inner chaos that goodness suffuses is like none other. It is transformative, a liberating balm from above. Goodness is a quest whose outcome illumines the aura. It shines forth like the godly stars for the voyager to keep his journey on course. When one lives goodness or its elements, it is the equivalent of finding a treasure trove in a deep tunnel, the jewels glinting a meaning in many hues, its light cutting through the darkness.