The good, the bad and the in-between

In order to make a personal judgment call, you need some kind of mental “line in the sand.” Above the line would be good and below it would be bad. OK so far, but what is that line?

Because things in life aren’t always black or white—in fact, they are rarely that simple—let’s look at the big picture.

Take a look at the definition of organic to the right of this column. It talks about “a relation between elements of something such that they fit together harmoniously as necessary parts of a whole.” So the whole of life would include many subdivisions—individuals, families, groups of people, mankind, plants, animals, the environment, spiritual life and even God.

Considering the whole—all the various sectors of life—the best thing would be something that benefited all areas, like clean air and water; and the worst would be something—like an atomic bomb—that is only destructive.

We get in trouble when we make our decisions based on a limited view. Sure you can make money by manufacturing products that are super sweet—and loaded with sugar and chemicals—but is that good? Good for your profits, perhaps, but that’s about all. Is it really true that “nice guys finish last”? Are rich SOBs really happy?

Fortunately, more and more of us are thinking in terms of the “organic” whole these days. We’re considering the effects on our bodies of the food we eat, the effects on the environment of what we buy and dispose of, and even the health and well-being of people across the world who are not as fortunate as we are. That’s good.

If, with this publication, we’re able to bring into focus a few more elements of the bigger picture, then we’ve accomplished something. At the end of the day, the more of us who are making decisions that positively affect a greater and greater number of life’s parts, the more enjoyable and less stressful life on Earth will be.

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