Good Deeds Week
Articles on the Consideration of Good Deeds
Index
Page 2......Introduction
Page 3......Why?
Page 4......Easy versus Hard
Page 5......Anonymity
Page 6......Paragons (Arasan)
Page 7......When to Not
Page 8......Self and Deeds
Page 9......Continuing
Introduction
Greetings, reader.
Contained in this volume are a compilation of thoughts and consideration
on the worth and manner of good deeds for those of goodness. These articles
were gathered during a time known informally as "Good Deeds" week, or,
more formally as: "a Week of Good Deeds and Right Action", an event
sponsored by "Love in Action" a campaign to spread awareness of the power
of Taliena's love through Algoron.
The event ran from the 15th of the 5th month of the year 2011 through to
the 22nd day of the same month, all dates being of the Old Calendar. The
purpose was not to isolate good deeds to one week, but, rather, to
celebrate them and increase the general awareness of their impact.
As a result, it felt appropriate to write a series of daily articles which
covered topics related to good deeds. For, despite our purest intentions,
we may find that some deeds create ill, either for ourselves or for those
that we're helping. In some circumstances our good deeds help, but do not
solve a much larger problem which we are capable of fixing.
At the beginning of the week, the then Bishop, Caenarfon, chimed in his
support, offering some brief, wise words which I believe will constitute
a beautiful beginning to this book:
"As we all do our good actions this week to honor Taliena, we are reminded
that we do this because this is how we wish people in Algoron to treat each
other, and to make it a place where all can enjoy peace and freedom. "
Keep those words in mind as you read. Our good deeds are not commandments
to be obeyed because we are sheep, they are a force of our Love expressed,
intended to change and shape Algoron for the better.
Taliena bless,
Arreana Lightwing
Why do we help others?
Evil helps one another to a singular purpose: to advance the will of their
gods. Everything they do traces back to this strict requirement of their
religion. Necrucifer, master of their path, seeks dominance of Algoron, to
be Master of all.
It is true that we of goodness also help at the behest of our deities, but
to a different purpose. Where the followers of evil serve in absolute
obedience, we serve by the choice of our actions. We do not give aid
because we're told to, we aid because it is a natural extension of what we
believe.
Taliena tells us to love, Siccara tells us to heal. Nadrik tells us to
remain honorable, even if we do not always agree. Kantilles preaches wisdom
and the prudent use of powerful magic, and, finally, Austinian, above all
else, tells us to remain unified, to internalize all the values of goodness
no matter who we follow.
It is from these virtues that we should be driven to do good deeds, to help
and to aid and to live our lives in accordance with the rightness of action
that defines our path. So we do these things not because we're told to, but
because we should want to.
These things should be a part of what defines goodness beyond just this
week. However, we take this week to celebrate these things and promote them
in the hopes that all of us will realize just how important good deeds and
right action are to our identity.
In a world torn apart by strife, where we fight daily against those of evil
it's easy for us to get lost in all of that fighting and see it as our only
purpose, but our purpose is much deeper than that. When all the fighting is
done and over with we will have a world to heal, and weak to lift up. Our
good deeds and right action will be needed to return this world to the
peaceful, loving place that it should be.
Easy versus Hard
Is it better to give a man food, or teach him how to farm?
The answer to that question might seem obvious, but let's alter it a little
bit:
Is it better to give a man food for a lifetime, or to teach him how to
farm?
The answer to this question is a bit more difficult. Guaranteeing a man
food for a lifetime is a worthy option to some. You can teach a man to farm
but that doesn't promise him healthy crops and food for the rest of his
life. He could manage, but there's no guarantee.
Despite that, my answer remains: teach him how to farm.
Why?
The answer to that is simple as well: there's more value in teaching him to
farm. Beyond the simple logistical problem of providing for all of those
who are needy for the rest of their lives, even if we could, there is no
true value added to their lives, to Algoron.
Despite the lies that evil tries to feed us, we do not merely support "the
weak" and allow them to continue to take away from the world. Our purpose
is to defend them, even as evil stomps over them and removes them, but
also to help strengthen and encourage them. That fact is one of the many
fundamental differences between goodness and evil.
Where evil seeks to use the weak to their advantage, and then toss them
away like trash on the streets, goodness sees the value of every person
and every being, and seeks to make Algoron stronger by strengthening each
member.
When we teach a man how to be self-sufficient, not only do we help him to
help himself, we enable him to also help others. A man that is taught to
farm can not only donate food to help others, once his feet are
established, he can, in turn, help others and teach other desperate people
the skills that they'll need for self-sufficiency.
So, as you go about your good deeds and right action, especially in this
week where we celebrate them, keep in mind how much more you can help
someone by taking the time to teach them. Offering a sword or a shield
might be helpful, but getting to know a stranger, and what they truly need
can do so much more.
With Love,
Arreana Lightwing
Anonymity
Why is it important for our deeds to remain anonymous?
If I offered 10 eggs to someone to help me carry some barrels of apples
across Arkane, I'm sure I could find someone very quickly. The motivation
for the help, however, was not to make Algoron a better place, it was not
to lift me up in something with which I might have been weak, it was driven
purely from the intention of earning eggs.
Similarly, if I offer fame and recognition for good deeds, then many might
be motivated to do them simply to know that their name is being spread
around as a result, and in the knowledge that they can use that fame to
their advantage later.
Unlike evil, our good deeds should not be motivated by personal gain. It
should not come from strict obedience. Instead, we should be driven to do
good deeds and right action because it is what we want to do.
By making anonymity a fundamental aspect of doing good deeds, we remove
the drive for glory and recognition from the motivations to help, helping
to ensure that aid is pure and from a true desire to make the world better.
This is not to say that it is wrong to say thank you, or to recognize those
that have helped you, even in a public manner.
However, when possible, it is best to stick to removing that layer of
motivation entirely. One of the reasons for this week of celebration is
to show how you can honor and celebrate the good deeds of others even
without directly recognizing them in a public manner. By sharing their
deeds, instead of the person doing the deed, we can celebrate the purity
of the action itself. Additionally, by paying good deeds forward, we keep
them rolling on, impacting others and spreading through Algoron like
wildfire.
So celebrate good deeds this week. Remember them, treasure them, pay them
forward. Don't feel bad about not emphasizing the individuals behind the
deeds, for their reward is in doing the deed itself. Besides, your good
deeds may come back around to help you in the future too!
Paragons
An excellent endeavor and I wished to place my thoughts in it. When I
think about those who have set the precedents before me. Torey, Gwynn,
Thrakhath, and among others. Men and women who are considered holy and
symbols of the Light to all those who think upon them.
I wondered if they had it easy. That the light and the words that come from
them were without pause, without question and without fear. I consider them
to be Holy people. But what defines a Holy Person? I think it is less
about their actions though that takes a part in it. It is the person who is
willing to step forward to help others regardless of the cost to themselves.
It is someone who inspires others to do the same and walk the path before
them with resolve.
We are mortal, and we are not perfect. Nor were those that we consider
Holy. But it is the measure of the individual to stand up despite
everything. Despite the jeering words, despite their own failings, despite
everything, it is the measure of the individual to brush off the dirt and
stand tall amongst Algoron.
So I say, the term Holy should not be placed to individuals of high
standing. It is not a symbol to achieve. But it is something to be.
Anyone of us can be holy. It is not those who have powerful words, it is
not those who have done amazing things. It is the regular person, it is the
person who is willing to work for the Light.
When one helps another without reward, they are Holy. When one listens to
the troubles of another and offers advice, they are Holy. When one follows
the tenants of the Light and shows themselves as an example to everyone,
they are Holy.
In my eyes, the moment you all rose to when the Holy Father needed us the
most, you were all Holy in my eyes. Never let anyone tell you different.
Be proud and be strong.
When to Not
When do we decide not to help?
Choosing not to offer aid is a difficult prospect, since, when we become
selective about helping, we risk simply becoming unhelpful in general,
while still persisting under the delusion that we are, in fact, helpful
people. Still, there are times when we should abstain from offering or
agreeing to help, and today I wanted to discuss those.
Evil
Where those of Evil paths are concerned, we must be wary. For instance,
if a follower of Evil asks you to help them retrieve a weapon, or even
another item which prepares them for fighting (such as armor) then we may
indirectly be aiding them in the murder of innocents. When we offer aid to
another we must always consider the possible consequences of our aid, and
what it might enable someone to do. With Evil this holds especially true,
as many of their aims and goals run directly counter to our own.
We must remember that the purpose of good deeds and right action is not,
in fact, to be helpful. Rather, being helpful is a by-product of the
greater purpose which is served: improving Algoron. While improving the
life of an individual helps to serve this purpose, we must ensure that
in improving their own circumstances we are not directly interfering with
another's livelihood. This is important, because it's a distinction between
Goodness and Evil. Those of Evil seek their own goals and objective, even
when at the behest of their gods, and have little regard for how others
might be treated in the process.
While we cannot always stop hurt or pain, and sometimes one set of actions
may unintentionally cause trouble for others, we must always consider and
do our best to ensure that our aid is doing the best that it can to help
improve without hurting others.
Self-Sufficiency
Sometimes we are reluctant to help someone for fear that we are promoting
laziness or other negative attributes. One of the arguments of Evil is that
Goodness lets the weak linger, infesting Algoron and holding the world
back. This is not true, but, if we take our virtue of not simply tossing
the weak aside in its most literal form, we can see how one might make
that assumption.
If we feel that someone's request is something they should be able to do
on their own, then it might be best to not simply "do it for them" and
instead ensure that they complete the task themselves. However, instead
of simply telling them to do it, or calling them lazy or any number of
negative things, we can still be helpful even in having them take the
responsibility for themselves.
Those that come to us for help for something they should be capable of
dealing with show a marked need for help, even if not directly in what they
are asking for. They may lack confidence or motivation. Instead of simply
turning them away, we can encourage them towards doing the task at hand,
showing them how they are capable and guiding them through the steps
required. In this manner we not only ensure that they do not resort to
relying on others as a crutch, we also keep appraised of their progress so
that, in the case that our assumptions are wrong, and they are truly not
capable, we can choose to simply aid them in their initial request.
Conclusion
We should be generous with our aid, but this does not exclude wisdom and
prudence from our judgment. While selectivity can be dangerous, it is a
necessary part of offering aid as a follower of Goodness.
Self and Deeds
When doing good deeds we must be selfless, but we must not forget
ourselves. It's easy for us to do good work at our own expense, such that
we suffer for it. While personal suffering shouldn't necessarily be a
deterrent for an action, it SHOULD cause us to consider more carefully
whether or not the action is valuable.
For instance, one of the most championed actions is the "ultimate"
sacrifice, dying for someone or a group of people. When heroes die for
others, we celebrate their deeds in legend, song, poem and story. However,
this does not mean that dying for someone else is always the best course
of action.
Similarly, we should not help others and suffer ourselves simply because
it will make them happy or more comfortable. When such things are required
for good, we must consider whether or not the result is something which
is truly improving Algoron.
Some will want to take advantage of us and our kindness, they may even try
to use it specifically to hurt us. These things we must be wary of, for
our good deeds should not be allowed to be a tool for subtler forms of
evil. How do we consider these things?
Love.
Our good deeds are an act of Love, but it should never be one-sided. Even
if we should not expect thank-yous or repayments, we should know that the
Love we give is returned also. If the requests made or the individual in
questions shows a clear lack of regard it does not mean we should not still
do good deeds for them, but we should then be suspicious of the deeds that
need to be done for them, and ensure that when suffering and sacrifice
are required, that we understand the full value of what we are offering.
Continuing
Good deeds, for those of goodness, come from the heart. Sometimes we get
so caught up in our lives and our regular deeds that we neglect the small
things we are called to do. In all things we should show love, but
sometimes this fact is ignored.
Love.
Love inspires us to do good deeds, and it is through love that I have
come to remind you of our purpose here. While we must fight the battles
that are brought to us, lest we be trod upon, let us not be defined by
our fighting, but, rather, by the good deeds and right action of our
hearts.
This week was set aside to celebrate good deeds, but it needn't end here.
As we go forward, continue to do good to one another, without expectation
of payment in return. Instead, pay forward the good deeds done unto you.
In all these things, however, remember the principles of good deed doing.
Remember to discriminate worthy deeds from ones which are purely intended
to hurt you. Remember also that the easy deed is not always the right
one. Instead of giving a man something to eat, consider teaching him how
to feed himself.
Praise Taliena