The Pursuit

I found this image in a PostSecret archive. It made me think of the conversation we had over dinner one night. He was surprised when I told him human beings are inherently good. He was surprised to hear such resounding faith in my voice, to see such deep belief in my eyes, to know that, despite everything, I meant it. I was equally surprised by his shock and disagreement. Although I knew he would never say such a thing, I suppose I had always assumed that everyone, in some way, believed it, that every single person had some kind of faith in the goodness of people. How else would we all move forward?

Yes we live in a world where horrible things happen. We live in a world where horrible things are done. We live in a world where it is possible to be a victim and a villain and both all at once. Wickedness is not beyond any of us. We are all capable of hurting, of being hurt, of acting upon our anger and sadness in monstrous ways. We are capable of becoming monsters. All of us.

The fact that there are those who are not, only leads me to believe that we are also just as capable of being good. All of us. We are capable of loving, of being loved, of reaching out our hands and hearts for others to hold. We are capable of seeing what needs to be done and we are capable of doing it, or at the very least, attempting to do it. Our attempts alone are one step closer to goodness. Our every tiny kindness is a legacy of those who showed goodness before us and a legacy for those who will choose goodness after us. Our every choice shapes the world around us.

I believe in the pursuit of happiness. Not the destination itself, although I do believe in the possibility of happy endings, but in the journey. I believe in the pursuit, and moreover, I believe we all believe it. I believe that even those who make the seemingly wrong decisions, those who we condemn and label "monsters," even they believed that their actions would bring them happiness. Which is not to say that I condone any of those decisions, or acts, or moments when people have allowed their capability to hurt to outweigh their capability to forgive, but I still believe that, in so many ways, we are all fighting the same fight. We are all on the same journey. We all have that same goal for ourselves -- of understanding, of inner peace, of happiness.

I believe that when I need help, someone will find it in their heart to try and provide it for me. Not because I am white, or a woman, or a middle-class American, but because I am a human being. And I'm not stupid. I know that there are plenty of people in the world who are not helped, are not saved, because they are none of the things I've listed above. But I also know there are a large number of people TRYING to help them. I know that there are a large number of people who read and watch the news and feel sympathy, who understand that they are fortunate and that being fortunate comes with the obligation to help those who are not. I believe that simply understanding that means there is goodness within them.

I cannot draw lines between good and bad. I'm not sure anyone can, although we depend on a series of systems whose sole purpose is to do just that. Still, I believe that we continue to survive because people have faith in one another. We continue onward because there is inherent goodness in us. We are a series of conversations, not monologues. We are questions, not answers. We are human beings, and together, we strive for joint happiness in the spirit of eternal forgiveness.

I believe in that, in us, in our pursuit for a happy life, and somewhere, deep down, I believe you believe it too.