My talk today had its genesis quite a few weeks back when I was on a journey. It was supposed to be for an hour and a half, so I settled back and let my thoughts wander. A couple of guys just behind me started talking quite loudly, and I couldn't help but overhear their conversation. It turned out to be a fascinating conversation between the younger guy who was probably in his early 20s and the older person who was probably in his late 50s. He asked the younger guy what he was doing who then replied that he had joined the army and was serving and had served in a couple of places. It turned out that the older gentleman also had served and he told him about where he had served and the two began to talk. It was fascinating because the older gentleman probed the younger guy to find out a little bit about his background. It transpired that the younger guy had been abandoned as a child, had a brother whom he talked about a lot and how both of them had navigated their early days in different foster homes. Finally he had joined the army and decided that he would serve and get an education as well. It would enable him to get a job when he left.
It was very interesting but what really got my attention was that at the end, when we were due to land in about 10-15 minutes, the older gentleman said, "I don't know why you and I have been sitting on this airplane together. Maybe there's a reason behind it. I own a very successful business. I've been touched by all that you have said and I want to help you." He handed him his business card and said, "When you get out of the army, and I think you're in for a short-term commission, then come and find me. I'll help you to get a good job."
I was so blessed listening to this conversation. For some reason, it brought out the realization that there's still a lot of goodness in the world. There are good people and we can still be part of a humane society. It gave me such a sense of well being to listen to all of this. I got a book by a professor at Asbury University, Dr. Kevin Brown, entitled 'Designed For Good'. I've been getting into it now and then and the title fascinated me because that's something that I would like to believe in.
In the introduction, he takes us through an argument that is going on between Socrates and Thrasymachus and one of Socrates' own students Glaucon. They had formed a belief that injustice is something of a necessary evil. "For the life of the unjust man is, after all, far better than that of the just man, as they say." They go on to try and prove that argument by using a familiar story called the Ring of Gyges. Dr. Brown gives us the modern day version of the story.
"Imagine you're going on a solitary hike in the woods. You stumble upon an alluring gold ring lying on the ground. As you will soon learn, this is no ordinary ring. When you turn the ring half a rotation on your finger, those around you speak and act as if you were not there. But when you turn the ring back to its normal position, they recognize your presence. To your amazement, you have stumbled upon a ring that can make you disappear and reappear at will. What kind of consequences does that have? What would it mean if such power were granted to you? It would mean that you could do whatever you wanted without the threat of judgment, consequence or retaliation. You might be tempted to steal desirable goods, fulfill all manner of lust or perhaps enact cruel revenge against your enemies. So knowing that you could take any action desired without consequence, how would you live? What would you do? In what way would you harness the power of the ring?"
I thought: if we take away these constraints that are placed upon us, how would we live? Would we get back to our baser instincts, or would we land on this whole idea that there is a human-ness about us, that we are designed for good, that we can indeed seek after the good life.
A day or so ago, there was an article in the paper about a man called Muralidhar Raut living in the Akola district, Vidharba region. After the demonetization that has taken place in India happened, where 500 and 1000 rupee notes have been demonetized, a lot of people travelling had difficulty. Muralidhar Raut owned a hotel and he decided that people who didn't have money could still come and eat at the hotel and pay back the money whenever they could. That was such a noble thing to do and he was lauded for his honesty and sacrifice. I thought that this had nothing to do with his honesty or sacrifice. It had to do with the honesty of other people and the sacrifice that he was willing to make believing that people would indeed do the right thing.
I wonder whether we can do that. Can we begin to trust people so that we bring out the goodness of people rather than allow people to go through doing what is right by some of the norms that have been placed in our lives? There's a feel-good factor. Michael Cunningham says, "Trust is as strong a motivator as guilt."
In California, Jim Cochran started the Swanton Berry Farm many years ago, and the key idea is that he just has a till and people can come and pick up what they want and then make their calculations (there's a piece of scrap paper with a pen). They then put the money that they owe into the till. That's how he has conducted business for a couple of decades. He was challenged with this when he was in college, to be able to trust people. He says, "You do get the odd person who'll come and just clear off the till. But the good that happens outnumbers the bad."
Paul Zak calls this "The Moral Molecule". He says, "What happens when we are trusted is that there is a release of the peptide oxytocin. This is the same neuropeptide that is found to contribute to bonding and attachment between a mother and her newborn baby, or affection between two mates. When this gets released, there is a 'feel good' factor that comes into people when they are able to trust others.
My journey kind of ends today. This has been at the back of my mind. Hearing humaneness on that airplane ride to Muralidhar Raut trusting people to Dr. Kevin Brown's book 'Designed for Good', made me think that all of us have the opportunity to create this 'feel good factor'. I wonder whether we could try it in our office spaces or wherever we are – see if we could trust each other just a little bit more to create a better society. After all, when we look at ourselves, we are all made in the image of God - Imagio Deo – which cannot be bad. It has to be good. And I wonder whether today we can allow that goodness to begin to come out. I am challenged and I'm hoping that you will be as well.
Allow me to pray with you. Almighty God. You have created us in Your image. You have created us to be good. And somewhere we have lost it. But today, as Your word reminds us that we are being changed from glory to glory, help us to begin to put into our days goodness, gentleness and kindness. Help us to trust people more, take the risk and be able to create a more humane and genteel society. Help us Lord to do that for we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
• Kevin J. Brown, "Designed for Good: Recovering the Idea, Language, and Practice of Virtue." http://www.hendrickson.com/html/product/708488.trade.html
• "Samaritan Fights Demons of Demonetization." Times of India, Monday November 28, 2016.
• Deborah Franklin, "The Psychology of the Honor System at the Farm Stand." http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/06/11/154750001/the-psychology-of-the-honor-system-at-the-farm-stand
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