Don’t be a good person.
This world is more complex than we think. Every moral dogma offered has its pros and cons. Try to preserve the right side. But on the other hand, try to understand. Someone is spreading moral dogmas, likely trying to consolidate status and power. They expect you to be an obedient person.
Although vulgar, the saying “people who talk about morals often live like c***” has its meaning.
Don’t choose to be a good person. Think for yourself, become a valuable person, and do meaningful things.
How do I do?
Thinking for yourself simply means considering short-term, long-term, and overall benefits. You need to expand your thinking beyond the limited circle that society has taught you.
You need to escape the distinction of the dualistic world (right and wrong, good and bad,…). Before making any decisions, don’t ask if this is right or wrong; ask yourself if this is meaningful. Is it within your value system? If money means something to you, keep earning and enjoying it. If helping others and leaving a legacy means something to you, live your life to the fullest. All of your experiences deserve respect.
But remember, constantly redefining what’s meaningful to you (because you’re continually changing, and the world is continuously changing).
Thinking for yourself is also thinking for others. When you stop drinking alcohol, stop staying up late, try to stay healthy to work, and at the same time, keep yourself from becoming a burden to your family. When you become happy, you will make those around you smile. When you do something meaningful for others, you nurture your soul’s purity.
Forget the moral dogmas about good people. It just tries to inflate your big “I” to elevate you to a saint and bring down everyone around you. Those who are living like a saint are living in suffering. Better yet, be a normal person who enjoys life. Let’s convert everything into benefits. Like Master Gian Tu Trung once said, “Put your interests in the interests of others.” You help others simply to help yourself. You benefit others simply for your own benefit. You do meaningful things beyond yourself merely because you are upgrading your own spiritual world.
It’s that simple.
Thinking for yourself is the way you lead a peaceful and happy life.