Is It Enough That I Am Good?

In my years of practising medicine, certain incidents linger in my mind. 

Once, as I was rushing out of the emergency room, a family bound to me by their neurological diseases quickly approached me. They were in grief. Their son, a careful driver who followed every traffic rule, was on the operating table after a drunk driver ran into him. He was sick, and they were struggling to deal with how unfair it all seemed. They asked me, “Doctor, how could this happen to him? He did everything right.” 

Their words resonated with an experience I had years ago when my daughter was in school. It was her school’s annual function, and she had a major role. The school had prohibited cameras at the event. I respected the rule and left mine at home. But when the event began, I was surprised to see most parents go very near the stage, cameras in hand, recording every moment of their children’s performances. 

My daughter was amazing, and while I captured every moment in my heart, I have now no proof to show or share with her. When I confronted the school, they simply said, “We made the rule, but we cannot control others.” 

Both incidents, though very different, felt strikingly similar. It wasn’t enough that I followed the rules or that the patient’s son obeyed the law. 

Others didn’t.

So the question: Is it enough to be good if the world around us chooses not to be? 

It's not just about individual choices, but about collective responsibility. It's easy to do the right thing when everyone else does too. But when people around us break the rules—like a drunk driver on the road or parents ignoring school rules—our efforts feel pointless. 

We wonder why their son's careful driving wasn't enough to protect him. Why should one person's carelessness lead to tragedy for someone who did everything right? 

It is just not enough to be individually good, but collectively we need to ensure that being good is the usual form of life- the norm. This means all of us should follow rules whether we are in education, hospital, traffic, workplace or at home as well. 

In an ideal world, goodness always wins, and people follow suit as the community is greatly influenced by the good person. But in the real world, it often feels like the rule-breakers have the louder voice; sadly the movies are also turning that way. 

We are living in a world where movies feature villain protagonists, swearing is considered heroism, breaking rules is seen as bravery and greed is a measure of success. 

Let’s choose to be good and kind before society loses its principles and ethics. 

Anyway, it’s so much easier to be kind and good than the opposite. 

So Why Struggle!!!!! 

And while I continue to do my share for society, I often wonder whether I should have taken the camera to school that day after all……