The Kingdom of Good
by A. Cantante
It slowly dawned on me that we can all do things that bring goodness into our
lives and the lives of others, and even to the whole world. It is working to
bring about a Good Kingdom on Earth that brings peace and soothes the soul.
The trick is that part of what robs us of peace is not always clearly bad. But
things that
work too much on our intellect, basic drives, and ego can silently rob us of
peace.
Examples are the snowballing technology, spectator sports, upward mobility, etc.
From the Christian Bible, the Kingdom of God is compared by Jesus as leavening
in bread-something small and hidden having a dramatic effect. While religious
people can relate to this, atheists and agnostics may not. But everyone knows
what “good’ means, even if not everyone knows what “God” means.
Goodness brings peace to the soul and the community. It binds people together.
It struck me that the way of bringing goodness into the world is not unlike
adding
yeast to dough-as in the biblical analogy.
So what can bring about the “kingdom of good”? I think good music with a gentle
melody and heartfelt lyrics is one way. While I hesitate to criticize any valid
art form,
I think that acid rock, heavy metal,etc. grate the soul , rather than healing
it.
Poetry is another way. In American culture, it is really a lost art form, with
–as far as I can tell-a very small public following. E.g., when was the last
time 60,000 people
went to a poetry reading, as they do to a concert or sports event?
Yet, good poetry touches the soul; it affects us at a deeper level of self. It
can reveal truths not always evident to us in the bustle of everyday life.
There is a great deal of fabrication in the world and we all seek-at some
level-what is good and true.
Good literature is another way. And the performing arts, and visual art.
The point is this: the world like a table set with all sorts of food and drink.
Some tastes good at first, but may make us sick later.
There is junk food, empty calorie food, but also delicious and healthy food. You
get the idea.
This essay is about all of us doing our best to both serve and eat nutritious
"food" that will allow us to grow into healthy, satisfied individuals.