Action or reaction 2

In a world of good and bad we seek the good...but how successful can we ever be? Is it possible to find and stay in something only and purely good? Or will even the best of the good turn stale and horrid after some time?
In Buddhist philosophy the radical answer is that we can stay in eternal happiness if we spend that eternity by helping others. This is the situation of a Buddha. Being perfectly happy and helping others all the time.
Happiness is not a passive state or a state cut of from the bad and dirty, but a situation where you help others. The bad becomes a source for creating the good.
This does not mean that we have to keep a lot of badness in order to have something to do. Instead we can seek for higher and higher levels of perfection.
So the important aspect is our relation to good and bad. If we try to see only the good we will end up in the bad just from relating in a bad way. The presence of the bad will help us see the quality of the good.
In mind we have the natural ability both to react and act. Sometimes our thoughts are reactions caused by external impulses, sometimes they are actions decided by ourselves. Both processes are necessary.

Understanding 2

According to Buddhist philosophy, there are two ways to see reality. One is the spontaneous way, the other is the enlightened way.
If we use our sense organs and modern technology we see a world that is good and bad. Much is nice and fine, but much is bad and destructive. We try to improve, but our means are limited and new bad things are always introduced.
From the perspective of enlightenment the world is only good. This is true.
So if we want truth, we should not seek it in the ordinary way but by seeking enlightenment. It is the first step.
The ordinary way is not altogether a failure, but the bits and pieces we get that way are bits and pieces which can be used in different ways.
What do we know about the enlightened perspective?
We know about compassion. It seems to be essential. Compassion is to have a positive attitude to others.
If we have the spontaneous attitude, compassion is conditioned. We feel there are enemies out there. There are people who want to rob us if they can.
And this activity is a reality and it can cause disturbances and delays.
But the solution is not to improve security but to remove walls.
In a world dominated by the spontaneous attitude, the balance between compassion and walls is a central issue.
The argument for compassion should be strongest.
The more people who understand the power of compassion, the less is the need for walls. But most people experience a phase in their life when security, walls and fight seems to be the only and natural attitude.
This is caused by an unstructured instinct and habit from long ago.