“Charity is to will and do what is just and right in every transaction.”
–Emanuel Swedenborg
Most of us know right from wrong and the difference between justice and injustice, and we advocate doing the right and just thing. But how many of us do what is just and right in every transaction every day of our lives?
Doing what is just and right seems to no longer be a high priority for many Americans. In fact, some laugh at the notion. “Do unto others before they do unto you,” seems to have become the practice of many. “If you don’t look out for yourself, nobody else will,” is a common motto.
It is tragic that we have reached a point where many no longer believe that doing what is just and right is a workable philosophy. It is even more tragic that many people have good reason to think in these terms. People who have stopped to aid what appeared to be a stranded motorist along a lonely stretch of highway have been robbed and killed on numerous occasions during recent years. Others who have been generous in their donations to charity have sometimes been betrayed by administrators of some of the charities who misappropriated some of the funds. The list of ways that good people have been betrayed or exploited as a result of their good nature goes on and on. But we must remember that these examples are exceptions and not the rule.
We must exercise caution in everything we do, including our benevolent actions toward others. But we must not allow a few rotten apples to cause us to abandon the whole barrel. Doing what is just and right makes us feel better about ourselves and makes others feel good about us. There are a lot of good, fair-minded people in this world, and the more people who live by this standard, the more who will embrace it.
Not only should we strive to do what is right and just, but we should also play an active role in advocating the same standard for our government and organizations in which we participate. Government programs and policies are not always just or right. Politicians tend to support policies that favor those who make the largest monetary contributions to their campaigns. Such policies may be fair to the majority of Americans, but in many cases they are not.
We would all like to live in a fair and just society. We can’t bring about such a society all by ourselves, but we can make a personal contribution toward such a goal. We live in an imperfect world, and that world will never become totally perfect. But there are things that can be done to make the world a little less imperfect. Each and every one of us can do our small part in this endeavor by setting examples for others to follow.
Think about it.
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Copyright 2025
Allen W. Smith
