Just as continuously spraying perfume on unwashed armpits cannot make them clean, continuously accumulating good deeds without washing away evil cannot make one a good person. Therefore, visible criteria such as whether someone performs good deeds or displays seemingly kind and humble words and actions cannot distinguish between the wicked and the good.
Rather, an inverse relationship often exists between “good people” and “good deeds.” A person who is clean and doesn’t smell wouldn’t think to spray perfume, but someone who is unwashed and has body odor would stake their life on perfume (good deeds). They would not simply want to mask the odor but would also feel the desire to spread the scent of the perfume (tales of their good deeds) as far as possible.
Every human being struggles to fight the “temptation of the devil” within themselves. Therefore, it is normal for someone who is engaged in a genuine struggle to have no time for performing noticeably grand good deeds. Those who win that battle perform good deeds without others noticing. Thus, they are not well known. The tales of good deeds circulating in the world are therefore mostly just “perfume scents” carried by the wind.
The beginning of true good deeds is “washing one’s own armpits” where no one sees—that is, fighting the devil within oneself. It is washing away evil by rejecting the temptations that erode the soul little by little every day.
The temptation to gossip about someone to build up one’s wounded pride,
The temptation to secretly satisfy one’s lust with someone other than one’s spouse and pretend nothing happened,
The temptation to steal someone else’s credit or subtly take advantage,
The temptation to lie to get through a moment or for momentary gain,
The temptation not to return extra change received by mistake,
The temptation to justify personal greed by cloaking it in a noble cause,
The temptation to hide the desire to be superior to others with a humble smile,
The temptation to muzzle one’s conscience, which speaks of what is wrong, with rationalization,
Besides these, countless cunning temptations arise a dozen times a day. Giving in to temptation brings instant gratification, while rejecting it brings instant suffering.
But each time we endure the pain and reject temptation, the eyes of conscience within us become brighter, and its voice becomes louder. It is painful to gradually recall past wrongdoings that we hadn’t even thought of, but this strengthens our ability to reject temptation.
By winning this invisible battle of life, a new world comes into view. We realize that people who previously seemed free are actually slaves, and that people we thought were foolish are living in true freedom. People we envied suddenly seem pitiful, and people we pitied become admirable.
Then, we finally become truly free people who have nothing to hide, even if we were to live-stream our entire 24 hours online. True freedom begins from having nothing to hide. We realize that those who have something to hide haven’t even begun their journey toward freedom.
From this point on, the good deeds we perform finally become true good deeds. Because the motive and process, everything, is good, they become good deeds that anyone can receive with joy and gratitude. But because we no longer feel the need to reveal good deeds outwardly, we quietly help our neighbors without anyone knowing. And we realize that what most people need is something spiritual rather than material.
Thus, the path to becoming a good person starts from the inner conscience that everyone has but is invisible to the eye. Cleaning one’s thoughts by overcoming the devil in one’s heart is the beginning and almost the entirety. Outward good deeds are merely secondary. Those who have not cleansed their hearts and consciences bring only chaos to the world, no matter how many good deeds they perform. Just as the stench eventually seeps through, no matter how much perfume is sprayed on unwashed armpits.
Leave a Reply