Good Deeds

You often hear people say, “No good deed goes unpunished”.  I’ve said it myself, but I must admit that the idea has always stuck in my craw.  If you think about it, it’s a discouragement to do good deeds.  After all, who in their right mind wants to be punished?  The safest course would be to do for yourself and let everyone else do the same.  I submit that the present state of the world might be examined in light of this.

Rather than consider your charitable actions toward others as good deeds, it might be better to think in terms of right action.  Right action, a concept of Buddhism, would have us live in alignment with the things that promote wellbeing in all aspects of our lives and in our interaction with others.  To borrow from a definition I found here: https://www.learnreligions.com/right-action-450068

"Right Action" is about "right" morality—translated as samyak or samma—It means being accurate or skillful, and it carries a connotation of "wise," "wholesome," and "ideal." It is "right" in the sense of being "upright," the way a ship rights itself when battered by a wave. It also describes something that is complete and coherent. This morality should not be taken as a commandment, as in "do this, or you are wrong." The aspects of the path really are more like a physicians' prescription than absolute rules.

Thus, living in right action does not require us to go out of our way to do a good “deed” for someone. Our goodness toward others becomes inherent in our behavior.  This does not mean that we will never be rebuffed or disappointed as a result of some action—it is through these corrections that we learn.  These are the waves that buffet the ship of our lives, and learning how to come back to center is a vital part of our growth.

Coming into right action as a way of life is not a decision so much as it is a process.  Of course, you must begin by deciding to live in this way, but it requires diligence and attention to the world around and within you until it grows into habit.  Doing the right thing in all circumstances is never completely possible, but if we aim for it, it’s far more likely to happen on a regular basis.