Thread by @lsanger

Let me tell you about Joshua, a Good Man to be found all over the world, and admired wherever he is found. He is not unique to Christianity, or Hinduism, or Chinese culture. Do you agree? See what you think.

larrysanger.org/2020/12/a-good…

2/ We say he is a good man. To say so in general is to say that he supports and preserves life wherever it is found. This is the essence of good action...

3/ Joshua’s actions toward others flow from a sense of benevolence, even love. His actions generally exhibit kindness...particularly helping those who are in need and in danger. That makes some sense, I hope. After all, those who who have plenty and are safe do not need his help.

4/ There is something natural or earthy about him; he is the human embodiment of the same kindness found at least occasionally throughout the animal world. Decency to others comes naturally to him. You have no doubt been delighted to meet kindness in people like Joshua.

5/ As a champion of life, he is gentle, not unnecessarily violent. A habit of violence would make him a danger to others and himself. But he is also strong and adept at fighting when necessary—an excellent protector; he refuses to let violent bullies take advantage of the weak.

6/ Practical wisdom is one key element in conflict avoidance. A second is justice: a devotion to treating others fairly, without giving anyone any undue advantage. Justice is crucial because the animal kingdom (not just human beings) have an in-built notions of fairness.

7/ A third is humility: Joshua does not weigh his own life over those of others; he takes the real value of others seriously, and he weighs the value of his own life appropriately, fairly, as one among many. Such humility follows, with justice, from his being a preserver of life.

8/ He is no pushover. He just avoids foolish conflict. He genuinely loves others; he sees his life as one among many, each having precious value. This self-evaluation manifests itself in ease with children, women, the poor, the elderly, the foreigner, and the bereaved.

9/ Now, Joshua is not perfect. He makes mistakes. He can even act viciously, cowardly, foolishly, proudly, and selfishly at times; he is human. But he knows that others are, if anything, even less perfect than he is. It is natural, to some extent, for us to harbor resentment.

10/ Joshua avoids doing so, because he knows it will lead only to worse and worse conflict. He practices forgiveness, because that truly is essential to being able to interact with others in a way that really supports them. He also begs forgiveness when he knows he is wrong.

11/ I invite you to consider these life-supporting virtues together. Nothing could be more natural than these virtues that characterize Joshua’s life. If you confess that you are somehow unfamiliar with them, then you are immature, or perhaps idiotic, or else monstrous, inhuman.

12/ Is Joshua unique to the Judeo-Christian tradition? Or to the West? Surely not. Surely you know Joshua. And he is admired wherever he is from, and held up as a paragon of virtue in all cultures. He is the sort of man that good people everywhere celebrate.

Am I wrong?