By Roberto Assagioli and others. Excerpt from the book Creative Meditation.
It is a very encouraging sign in the present confused world, so full of difficult, contradictory and alarming possibilities, that the concept of “good will” is being discussed, acknowledged and championed. But it is never easy to look at the familiar with new eyes. This is also true of good will, and all that has been said about the phrase “I seek to show love, not hate” applies to the subject of good will. Too often, good will is considered simple and obvious, something that every well-meaning person takes for granted and applies without thinking about it and probably without any special motivation. Most often, the perception is that good will is identical with a welcoming character and a friendly attitude – but welcoming and kindness can sometimes show overtones of condescension and patient tolerance when it comes to the weaknesses of others, tacitly considering them inferior or less developed. Or it is seen as an attitude that makes contact between people smooth and pleasant, in other words, it can be a modern substitute for the politeness that seems to have gone out of fashion and which is expressed as good manners. Since none of these popular perceptions are appropriate, it may be important to draw attention to the deeper meanings, the more comprehensive meanings, and the positive and dynamic character of goodwill.
Goodwill is a principle
What is Good Will? Good will is a principle, and a principle has been called “the thought of God,” something that gives direction and direction in life, and that provides what may be called a yardstick or scale of values for attitudes and actions. A principle is a spiritual reality, a truth to which the soul responds, and it is always attuned to the greatest good of the greatest number. Principles are always based on the great laws, and in this case a study of the principle of Good Will leads deeper into the foundation of the law of right human relations.
Next, the word itself must be studied, for its actual structure shows that it contains several different related aspects. First, will , second , the will-to-good , third, the good will , which is distinct from the first two. A study of each aspect is a help in explaining unexpected dimensions in the concept.
The energy of will
Will is a powerful energy—perhaps the most powerful in the universe. It is the first aspect of divinity, the aspect that most directly expresses or shows the true nature of divinity. It has been said that humanity must come to recognize three forms of divinity, the first being that God is thought, intelligence, and the cosmic mind, which some in modern science have begun to recognize and even prove. The second is that God is love, which is an exceedingly great message in the higher religions, although this message is far from being practiced in general. The third is that God is will, and it must be said that this realization is still only in a state of development in humanity today. A more distant synthesizing realization would be that God is an intelligent, loving will —synthesizing in the sense that it contains the three aspects that humanity has hitherto known or suspected. There may be more, but for the current purpose it is enough to strive to understand these three.
The synthesis is missing.
Unfortunately, humanity still lacks the synthesis—and even the harmony—of these three aspects. There is a great deal of intelligence and much mental activity that contains no love and is often used for selfish purposes. There is much love in its emotional sense with little or no intelligence to enlighten and guide it. But most damaging of all is that there is so much will in humanity that is not loving at all and is used selfishly to achieve personal ends.
The extensive abuse of human power ranges from authoritarian individuals who exercise their willpower over their immediate circle of associates to strong leaders who hold an entire people in undeserved subjection with a heavy hand. In broad generalization, it can be said that the present sad state of humanity is mainly due to the fact that those who have will often do not have the will-to-good, and that those who have love do not have will or have it only to a limited extent – they are weak or fearful or lazy. Therefore, recognition of the will must be achieved by recognizing the purpose and direction in which the will is to be used. This should, of course, be towards good. In other words, in order to become constructive and not destructive, the will should be the will-to-good. This requires a fairly high level of development and true spiritual alertness, but the will-to-good should and can manifest itself through the personality, and when it does so, it is called the good will .
Functions and effects of goodwill
Goodwill fundamentally promotes harmony and unity, which are expressed as right human relations in humanity. Symbolically speaking, goodwill breaks down barriers and builds bridges, for it stimulates right activity between individuals, groups, and peoples. It is a key to new and often unexpected ways of thinking, and there is an interesting interplay between goodwill and understanding.
On the one hand, goodwill leads to understanding, eliminating separatist reactions and creating opportunities for communication, and on the other hand, true understanding leads to the creation of goodwill and its spread. Because goodwill breaks down fear and creates relationships of trust, true cooperation can become possible. Because it acts as a builder, it can change the psychological atmosphere in personal relationships and in any group activity. By eliminating the conflicts and obstacles within and between ourselves and others, and thus strengthening harmony and unity, goodwill becomes effective in healing individual and social ills.
Implementation of goodwill
There are two general methods for implementing goodwill. The first is to eliminate the obstacles so that goodwill can be freely expressed. One could call this a negative method, although it requires much positive activity to implement. These obstacles are primarily self-centeredness, resentment, hostility, prejudice, criticism, and intolerance. Eliminating these areas requires an attitude of self-observation, of sincere self-analysis, and of impartial judgment. An incipient disposition to possess goodwill is essential to overcoming the obstacles and to enabling goodwill to become a powerful force in life.
Cultivating positive qualities
The second method is the direct cultivation of the positive qualities, which are mostly opposites of the obstacles. The most necessary qualities in this regard are compassion, patience, generosity, humility, a sense of togetherness (even to a cosmic universal feeling), a spirit of service, and gratitude. It may not be so obvious that showing gratitude is necessary to be able to implement goodwill, so it requires special comment.
Some people find it difficult to feel real gratitude and even more difficult to express it. There are others who are more inclined to give than to receive, but when this attitude is studied closely it often turns out to be less recommendable than one would think, for in giving—especially when one has a lot—a pleasant feeling of superiority develops. On the other hand, receiving often leads to wounded pride and offended vanity. This perhaps explains the well-known and often absent gratitude and kindness towards a benefactor. There may also be an ambivalence between a highly expressed gratitude and a more or less closed dislike. A genuine gratitude, truly felt and expressed , is a positive way of creating and spreading goodwill.
Very often the lack of active goodwill stems from ignorance and from lack of contact with human sorrows and sufferings, both physical and psychological. Many people do not realize how much sorrow exists and how many aspects sorrow has. A kind and loving temperament sometimes contributes to laziness, to taking things lightly, and therefore it may often be necessary for people to have direct contact with poverty, sickness and the pain of others, so that they will have the impulse to act. Younger people are especially open to influences of this nature, and by coming into contact with suffering and injustice they – and hopefully everyone – are awakened to the need for goodwill and for service.
Practicing goodwill in groups
Techniques for practicing good will outwardly, especially in discussions and meetings, are largely the techniques used in the humanities to establish constructive personal and group relationships. They are described in many books, but here it is only possible to summarize a few:
- You must assess a problem from any Include it in a larger frame of reference, a larger “whole.” See its connection to the total situation and observe the interdependencies. View it from “above,” from a higher level.
- Find and establish the agreements that already exist or are easy to achieve. Objectively and collaboratively examine conflicts and disagreements by striving to manage the emotional factors.
- Establish a common goal to be achieved, formulate it clearly, always keep it in mind and refer to it often.
- Be prepared to make partial sacrifices (real compromises) to achieve the best possible outcome for everyone.
- Put aside some immediate benefits in favor of greater future benefits created through agreement and cooperation.
- Decide what needs to be done to act together .
Well-founded self-interest may be the motivating factor behind the use of these techniques. Remember, however, that what is truly good for the soul will ultimately be good for all. At a higher level, goodwill is motivated by reliance on the law of harmony, the law of justice, and the law of cohesion. When these are activated, good will attract good, and magnanimity will arouse magnanimity.
Areas where goodwill can be activated
These areas can be imagined as a series of concentric circles, with the individual in the center. It may seem surprising that good will applied to oneself begins precisely where good will should begin. Although it may seem as if one is directing too much good will towards oneself, this is only true when viewed superficially and to the same extent that one is over-indulgent with one’s own weaknesses and impulses. There is a deeper aspect to the situation. When one indulges oneself and makes excuses, it is simply weakness and lack of will, and it is not really good will towards oneself.
In reality, it is harmful, because by being indulgent with oneself one becomes one’s own enemy. For some people, there is a strange ambivalence: At the same time that they reveal their less praiseworthy desires through their weakness of will, they also hide the fact that they have self-criticism and feel dissatisfaction with themselves. When this becomes strong enough, it can develop into a real guilt complex, which can consequently lead to self-hatred and a desire to punish oneself. It is thus clear that there is a need to use good will against oneself. This form of enlightened good will primarily involve a courageous recognition of one’s own shortcomings and personality flaws – a recognition that one has arrived at in a very serious way. But on the other hand, one should not judge such faults too harshly, for they are part of the ordinary “human condition,” and a constructive and successful way of dealing with them is neither by repressing guilt and making excuses, nor by punishing oneself, but by seriously deciding to eliminate them, to overcome them, and to transform the personality. This decision requires a persistent and active good will.
The closest family
Another circle contains those closest to us—the family members. It hardly seems necessary to emphasize how great a need there is for goodwill in the relationship between husband and wife and between parents and children.
The more distant “family”
Then come the ever-larger circles that contain daily contacts – the people you work, shop with and hang out with – neighbours, classmates and teachers.
The most distant “family”
Still larger circles encompass the collective areas of human relations—communities, nations, continents, and finally humanity as a unit. In all these relationships one must remember the most important function, which is understanding. The effort to understand the people with whom one comes into contact should be a constant conscious practice, so that the necessary goodwill in interaction with them is built up and maintained. A principle that should always be remembered and activated is that all creative change proceeds from within outwards . It is the refinement of the will-to-good within that gives the power and awakens the energy necessary to be able to actively express goodwill in outer life. All these points are valuable subjects for meditation. The outline on the following pages may also be useful in this respect, especially if used in connection with the one on right human relations in the first instruction , for these two complement each other.
Overview of will
- Goodwill is:
- A principle
- A source of real human relationships
- A constructive energy
- A magnetic attracting energy
- God’s will
- A positive radiating energy
- An expression of the will-to-good.
- The will to provide it as it should be.
- Effects of goodwill:
- Stimulates real action
- Promotes harmony and unity
- Breaks down obstacles
- Transforming the environment
- Increases understanding
- Contributes to solving problems
- Facilitates the healing of individuals and society
- Ways to implement the goodwill:
- Cultivation of positive qualities such as:
- Beauty
- Generosity
- Lion
- Community
- Gratitude
- Patience
- Mercy
- Harmlessness
- Serenity
- Cooperation
- Harmony
- Silence
- Against
- Humility
- Simplicity
- Kindness
- Joy
- Understanding
- Service spirit
- Elimination of obstacles such as:
- Criticism
- Intolerance
- Indifference
- Violation
- Irritability
- Rivalry
- Prejudice
- Hostility
- Superiority
- Arrogance
- Self-centeredness
- Aggressiveness
- Lack of sympathy and understanding
- Cultivation of positive qualities such as:
- Keywords:
May women and men of good everywhere unite in a spirit of cooperation.
How to move forward
Here you can receive seven free meditations where you develop different aspects of yourself.
Also read the article Psychosynthesis an Integral Psychology and the biography of Roberto Assagioli
Read the introductory article about energy psychology
Read the introductory article about integral meditation
