The Healthy Management of Reality - Stanford University

good not for self-gain, but good in a more universal sense.Cynics point out that, even in cases where material benefits are not themotivation for spiritual practices, the belief that these practices will lead to eternalbliss is the real reason for adopting them. Thus, self-gain is still involved even inapparently selfless lifestyles. I admit that this may very well be the case for certainpeople. But my sense is that, for most individuals for whom spiritually influencedlifestyles are more than just socially sanctioned rituals, the seeking after the goodgoes beyond self-gain. "The good" begins to develop a reality in these people'slives, and the ways they think and behave begin to be judged in their own minds interms of whether they are in harmony with their concept of the good.The good is independent of what specific human beings think is good. Itcannot be defined by polls, popular beliefs, or the power of the state. It has anexistence beyond time and space: the beliefs of societies throughout the centuriesand throughout the vast geographic locations in which they have flourished hasshifted in terms of what has been considered good. In some ways, the search forthe good parallels the efforts of scientists to discover how nature works, takingprecautions not to be biased by one's assumptions or one's society's current beliefs.The efforts of people for whom spiritual and moral values are important are aimedat gradually discovering more aspects of "the good" and their practicalimplications.HMOR.July2005.Muñoz.doc 95