Good, but Flawed

How many great leaders have you known who turned out to have serious flaws?

Most of us were indignant when we found out that presidents Nixon and Clinton lied to conceal their secrets. Many of us were also shocked to learn that Mahatma Gandhi and Chairman Mao had affairs with women in their older years. You or I could provide more examples of seemingly great people with large flaws.

We prefer forthright characters like Winston Churchill who proudly displayed his spicy disposition, so that there were no shameful secrets to be revealed after his death. We instinctively prefer people who acknowledge their flaws upfront.

In my student days I became enamoured with a famous guru who seemed to have the last word on virtually any topic under the sun. But eventually, as it often happens, it turned out that he had fatal flaws. He had seriously deceived both himself and his followers.

Actually, I have not met any person, however saintly, that has no flaws whatsoever. By flaws, I mean unintentional defects in our character or behaviour, usually due to ingrained habit or our blind spots.

It is actually comforting to be able to acknowledge flaws. Trying to keep them secret is tedious. Confession of weakness is good for us; greater clarity and deeper insight usually follow.

That is not to dismiss our necessary struggle to become better morally, spiritually and in every way. Nor is this any excuse to flaunt our flaws rather than to gently work on removing our rough edges wherever we can.

Not to acknowledge our flaws makes us appear hypocritical. That is why religious people are sometimes ridiculed. They often pretend, when they are unable to attain complete holiness, but this pretence is not convincing.

So this raises the question: is everyone good, but flawed? Regrettably not! All people may be flawed, but not all people are good.

Some people are mostly evil with perhaps one or two redeeming qualities. At the bottom end of the spectrum are the crime bosses, murderers, torturers, exploiters and warlords. We may rarely meet such an evil person, and we might not recognize them if we did. In fact, they usually pretend to be good on the surface. Deception is their hallmark trait.

The majority of people avoid extreme evil, but they also do not strive hard to become good. Those who do not make strong efforts to improve themselves continuously fall into this vast middle ground of “not quite good, but not completely evil”. This category of people contains many shades of grey, ranging from almost pleasant to generally disagreeable.

Finally, there are those who sporadically work on self improvement, moral betterment, and spiritual growth. Although their motives are good, they lack the patience, stamina, determination and courage to become all that they could be.

The question then becomes, can one become truly good despite having flaws? I believe that we can. A diamond can shine with exceptional brilliance despite its flaws; so can we.

Healthy spirituality requires constant striving for goodness in every aspect of our lives. It means pursuing good health, exercise and wholesome diet. It involves becoming very good at our work, so that people want our goods or services. It means doing good to others in every relationship – living generously.

It is never too late to start working on our spiritual health. The voice from the mountain peak calls everyone to begin the climb. There is much help available along the way. And it is the most beautiful and glorious path imaginable. The landscape and scenery is magnificent for those reach to the sky.