Good Is Always Good

One of my favorite family memories took place a few years ago. We had some kind of family gathering at my parents’ home that included my sister’s family, too. At some point my mom turned on an Elvis Presley CD. Mom and Dad started dancing around the living room. Before long, EVERYONE was dancing around, the music had been turned up, and we were all singing along. It was so much fun! Good music is always good. The same can be said for a good movie or a good book. Some of my children’s all-time favorite movies were made before they were born and some of their all-time favorite picture books are the same ones I read as a child. If a movie or a book is good, it will always be good.

I recently started attending college again. I am taking an Introduction to Law class. One of the concepts we discussed involved this idea of good is always good. Natural laws are those that are universally accepted as being good. For example, everyone knows that it is good not to kill someone else, not to steal someone else’s property, and to have freedom from oppression. These laws use common sense and an inborn feeling of what is right and what is wrong. Unfortunately, sometimes people ignore this inborn moral compass so positive, or written, laws are created to remind everyone what is good. Positive laws usually have a consequence tied to them. People who obey natural and positive laws are generally happier than people who ignore them. They also have more freedoms than the people who disobey the laws and must face the consequences of their choices.

This concept was not new to me. I have heard it all my life as I have studied the gospel. Everyone is born with the Light of Christ to help us recognize what is good. Because some people ignore their internal moral compass, the Lord has written down His commandments, or rules, for us to follow. These commandments remind us what is good and often have consequences attached to them. People who disobey commandments often find their choices limited by the consequences of their decisions. They are often unhappy and frustrated with the direction their lives have taken. People who make good choices are generally happier.

The thing I also noticed is that natural laws and commandments that are good don’t change with time. Good is always good. It is always good to be free from slavery and oppression. It is always good to respect the property and lives of others. It is always good to be morally clean. It is always good to love and serve others. It is always good to pray and to study the scriptures. All of these things that were good 100 years ago, or a 1,000 years ago are still good today. Good is always good.

I love it when my school work makes sense in the real world!