Goodness is not something seasonal and an act that is carried out for the sake of public attention. Rather, it is a deep rooted virtue that comes out of pure heart and good conscience; and reflected in the day to day activities of humankind. Goodness lives with us in every second; and practices it at all time, instead of on holidays or other special days.
All religious teachings revolve around this concept. We have to be considerate and kind to others. We should practice this special virtue irrespective of the reward we earn from those people, says Sr. Aklesia Memorial General Hospital CEO, Doctoral Candidate Dawit Moges.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald in relation to the ‘Day of Goodness’ in which Ethiopians marked yesterday, Dawit said that goodness is an “inside out” process where no one would put his or her needs upon us. “When we act well, it is free from the pressure of any external agent. We do it out of humanity.”
“Man was created with good will. We have come to this world with a user manual that guide our soul to do what is good and detest what is evil. However, we are abusing that user manual owing to various reasons.
According to him, several reasons have contributed to this. One reason is apathy where one fails to understand the pain and suffering of the other. The other one is, most of the people inclined to be self-centered instead of helping others.
YMCA Ethiopia, Executive Director, Dagmawi Selamssa, also believes that goodness is an inborn entity. According to him, YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) was founded by George Williams in 1844 with the aim of supporting others and showing empathy to others. Doing what is good to others and supporting the needy was the core values of George Williams.
Kindness and goodness are the value systems of Ethiopians. Every Ethiopian knows what it means to support others in times of needs. In this regard, YMCA together with government and other stakeholders has been discharging its responsibility for the last decades.
According to Dagmawi, using volunteers, YMCA is providing humanitarian services to vulnerable members of the society. This is part of goodness the nation desire to deepen.
Seconding the view of Doctoral Candidate Dawit, he said, kindness and goodness are innate to all human kind. We all are born with kind heart. What we need is the will to practice what is in our heart without anyone`s pressure. This is the true identity of Ethiopians. Our forefathers have left us a legacy of helping one another not selfishness.
CMC Muluwongel Church Pastor Tefferi Yimer on his part noted that goodness is a great asset of humans that we should cultivate for the common good of our society.
“All of us should show mercy and high moral values towards others and experience it in our day-to-day activities through practical deeds, despite circumstances they are in. We should act today rather than tomorrow because several people are seeking our support and assistance at this time.”
As to him, in a congregation, CMC Muluwongel Church, he is serving now, on each service day his teachings and preaching focus on urging fellow sisters and brothers to show virtue to others.
Mentioning the story of the Good Samaritan at Holy Bible, Pastor Tefferi said that the parable has greater essence to teach us- how kindness is borderless and how we should deal with anyone in problem.
Jesus uses this story to explain the unlimited nature of love. Our neighbor is not just someone within our community. Our neighbor is anyone in need of love and mercy. Instead of asking who deserves our love as a neighbor, this parable teaches us to love beyond the confines of our community or religion and treat everyone as we ourselves would like to be treated.The Samaritan did everything he could to help the Jew recover, taking good care of him.
According to him, all pertinent stakeholders should adhere to the values that help to restore goodness among communities and the posterity should be well shaped with the values of virtues because it pays back.
“In my view; a lot has to be done to further strengthen the mentality of goodness among people, especially the posterities through cultural displays, teachings and also incorporating in the education system.
Mohammed Demisssew a resident of Addis Ababa Yeka Sub City for his part said that we should fortify the effort of goodness because it pays back.
In my view, Ethiopians have a long history of helping each other. This is also marked at the Holy Book Quran.
It is known that the migration to Abyssinia, also known as the First Hegira, was an episode in the early history of Islam, where Muhammad’s first followers (The Sahabah) fled from the persecution of the ruling Quraysh tribe of Mecca. They sought refuge in the Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia. This proves how our forefathers were living with high moral standards. Following the golden decision, Prophet Mohammad ordered his followers to keep safe Ethiopia.
That history should be well-nurtured among the youth community because it helps to instill the purpose of life in a more constructive and lasting manner rather than consumed in seasonal ones.
What is more, religious fathers, political leaders and public servants should show the gut to walk the talk in each day of their activities. Unless, we work in harmony and integrity, the values of humanity and sincerity will remain in question.
In relation to the Day, Addis Ababa City Press Secretary had carried out activities that symbolize goodness. While it distributed over 1.5 million breads, Sheger and Anbessa city busses as well as 1,600 private taxis provided free transport services for dwellers, offered New Year gifts for 1000 vulnerable individuals, wheelchairs for disabled individuals.
BY LEULSEGED WORKU & MENGISTEAB TESHOME
The Ethiopian Herald 9 September 2021
