Good and Bad

Good and Bad

   Last night, watching the BBC drama Silk, I was reminded of the almost daily choices we face when traveling through life.  The shows deals with one legal firm and its issuing of cases to its barristers; sometimes this means taking on cases of being defender or prosecutor or sometimes both, all within its offices.  For the lead character, Martha, this doesn't sit well for while she is good at her job (and usually prevails), her conscience is right...but wrong, if that makes sense.  She'll defend the law and do so accurately; but as she finds out, that sometimes means hurting the innocent party and letting the guilty party go.

   So often, this scenario can follow us into the real world.  Something as simple as being undercharged for an item or nicking the car next to you when your door swings open;  do you return or leave a note to correct the mistake?  Or is it "small enough" to justify simply leaving?  And if so, at what point do you return or leave a note?  Is there a certain dollar or euro amount?  Does it matter if you're alone or does having someone else around push you further back to your conscience?

   Often, this can lead to question where our meters of good and bad begin and end.  A friend of mine recently retired from the state prison system where he was a captain.  In this prison were death row inmates, some released alone for just two hours, one day a week, into a concrete walled small courtyard.  One day, a mistake was made and this particular prisoner, a known killer, was released into the yard while another prisoner was there (doors are opened and closed remotely).  A vicious attack followed and the other prisoner was quickly removed...he was in serious condition.  When my friend asked this killer why he stopped and didn't kill the other prisoner, he simply replied, "I didn't feel like it today."  To my friend, who was quite objective, there was no doubt that this prisoner was just one example that there are people who have no conscience, no meter of good and bad...even killing someone brings no remorse.  Even if you have to defend them in court...

   Yet on that same day, I went to Petco's website, a national supplier of pet products, and was surprised to find a series of inspiring offshoots, projects aimed at increasing the human-animal bond and rewarding those individuals and companies working to do good.  As I read some of the stories, there were unselfish tales of people changing lives, rescuing cats and dogs trapped in a house on fire or pinned behind a wall, or taking time from their lives to give back.  These, too, are conscious decisions, commitments made as a reaction or made for the duration after much thought.  They are stories exemplifying the good offsetting the bad, stories that get buried behind the flashy, catchy news but are in fact, being made by so many people.

   As we travel this journey of life, it's good to remember that many good things happen unnoticed.  Even something as simple as a changed attitude can make a difference, a realization that balance occurs, as does the temptation to walk away and not get involved.  A person falling on a sidewalk can create an instant reaction...good, bad or indifferent.  As the song says, "do I go or do I stay?" 

   For Martha, her choices and dedication to the law and her work are solid...the question becomes, as for most of us, is it right?  Is it good?