I cannot recount to you how many times persons came to me while I was fully active as a clergy person and asked me how they could be a good person.
These were heartfelt questions.
They were not some people trying to get ahead of anyone else or get into heaven by an easy route.
They seemed genuinely sincere in trying to understand what they needed to do to be a good person.
I suspect the quote I heard most often was this, "I just want to be a good person.
" Now, we will each have our own definition of what a good person is.
So let me offer you a common definition from which we may work today.
I believe the good person is one who treats everyone fairly, is honest in all dealings, is faithful in all relationships, works hard, supports honest causes and generally does the good thing, the right thing at all possible times.
But how do we do that? One way is by using the Spiritual Circuit.
The Spiritual Circuit consists of three nodes: acquire, rewire, inspire.
Imagine a wire, a spiritual wire coming out of you and attaching to the first node of acquire.
What does acquire mean? In this case it means to find out all you can about who you want to be.
Let's take one of the harder ones, that is to say, doing the right thing at all possible times.
What does it take to do the right thing? Well, I suppose one has to understand what the different sides of the issue are.
Suppose you know that a particular person is cheating on his wife.
You know this for a fact.
Does a good person tell the spouse she's being cheated on? Or does one keep quiet? So you look at the issues.
If you tell, how will the person being cheated on react toward you? Will they still want you as a friend? If they do not want you any longer as a friend, can you take that, live with that, because you've done the right thing? I'm not going to give you answers to this question as I see it.
Because that would prejudice your thinking about it.
In the acquire node you must acquire an opinion about what you will do.
Then you must do it.
Then you must live with the consequences.
This is the acquisition of knowledge and opinion about the situation you find yourself in.
Once you gain that knowledge and opinion, then you need to rewire your brain in preparation for the execution of your decision.
For example, if you feel that you will lose a friend over this, you need to begin to rewire your brain absent that friend.
Because you've done the right thing you know that you'll have to rewire your brain to stand up to all the fallout that may come along.
In other words, you must be ready, by rewiring your brain, redeveloping your thinking, for the reaction that people will have.
If the cheating spouse was one of your friends, you will almost certainly lose that person as a friend.
But that's what it may mean to be a good person.
Continuing with the same example of the cheating spouse -- the one who's being cheated upon, when you have told her of the unfaithfulness, will surely need support.
You can be there with your newfound strength which came through the acquire and rewire nodes, to inspire your friend to pick up the pieces, to inspire her make her own decision about what to do, and to inspire her to move on.
I picked this example because most things in life won't be as hard as revealing to someone they're being cheated on.
But the same principle of the three nodes applies to any situation.
It is as if a wire, a spiritual wire coming out of you attaches to the first node of acquire.
Everything that is needed to be known is available within the universe and can be retrieved, so to speak, by attaching to this acquire node.
But then you must do something with the knowledge you have gained.
And so you continue the spiritual wire on to the rewire node.
Yes, the brain is actually capable of generating new neural pathways, that is rewiring, to help you be the good person you want to be.
Then the spiritual wire continues on to the inspire node.
The spiritual circuit is never complete without this third node.
From the third node the spiritual wire reconnects to you so there is a complete circuit.
What you have learned, when you have rewired, needs to be shared with all who will listen.
This does not mean that you become an annoying know-it-all.
It does mean that when the opportunity presents itself, you share what you learned that has helped you.
In your quest to be a good person what one thing can you learn today (acquire) that will help you to be a better person as you see it? What new thing can you do today to help you rewire your brain so that you are acting as the good person you want to be? What one idea can you use to inspire another on their path today? Do it.