Issue No. 60

There is a man in Thailand. Every day, on his way to work, he sees a pot of plants near the side of the road. One day, he realizes that the falling water from the roof of the house in front of it could benefit the plant, so he moves it to a place where it would receive water. The plant, however, already appears to be dead and beyond saving.

After that, he sees an old lady vendor trying to push her cart onto the sidewalk. Because the sidewalk is a bit higher than the road, she needs help to push it. The man obliges and helps her. During his lunch break, he eats at a local family-owned restaurant, enjoying his favorite meal of chicken and rice. A dog approaches him, and he gives the entire chicken to the dog. The guy who cooked his chicken shakes his head in disappointment. "Why give a dog the food you paid for?" he wonders.

Later, he encounters a little girl with her mom on the side of the road, selling handcrafted toys. The sign says “for education.” He has about 220 Baht in his wallet, which is about $6. He gives them 120 Baht. The little girl shyly accepts it. An old man from afar sees this and shakes his head in disappointment. "Why give money to someone who is just there begging when people work hard for their money?" he thinks.

After work, the man rides a bus home. He sees a lady standing in the bus while he's sitting, so he offers his seat to her. When he arrives home, he brings a pile of bananas to his very old neighbor. She realizes someone knocked on her door and is surprised to find a pile of bananas hanging on her doorknob. The man is nowhere to be found. At home, he eats once more with plain rice and fish sauce, and then he sleeps.

He does all these things repetitively every day: moves the plant to where water falls, gives 120 Baht to the little girl and her mom, feeds the dog with his chicken, helps the old lady with her food cart, offers his seat on the bus, and gives bananas to his old neighbor.

A few months later, when he is about to give his 120 Baht to the little girl, he finds that she has disappeared. Only the mom remains on the sidewalk. Then a voice from afar shouts, “Mom!” It is the little girl in her school uniform, looking at the man who made her education possible. The old man who previously shook his head in disappointment is astounded. The dog he used to feed is now his roommate. The lady he used to bring bananas to finally finds out who brings them to her and hugs him. The lady on the bus smiles at him. The old lady with her food cart gives freebies to her customers. And the plant that seemed to be dead now grows beautiful flowers and leaves.

This story is from my favorite short film, a 3-minute ad on YouTube made by a Thai insurance company 10 years ago. The video is titled “Unsung Hero.” with 110+ million views and was translated to several langauges since then. (Watch it here: Click me)The video has some narration that went like this:

"What does he get in return for doing this every day?”

“He gets nothing.”

"He won't be richer.”

“Won't appear on TV.”

"Still anonymous.”

"And not a bit more famous.”

"What he does receive are emotions.”

"He witnesses happiness.”

"Reaches a deeper understanding.”

"Feels the love.”

“Receives what money can't buy.”

“A world made more beautiful.”

"And in your life?”

"What is it that you desire the most?"

What's really inspiring about this short film is not the entire drama itself but the last question:

"What is it that you desire the most?"

What is that one thing among many that you truly desire? The top of your desires in life? I'd say only monks have no desires as they have spent their lives trying to remove them from their minds. For most of us, we have a list of desires that accompany us every day. They are always at the back of our minds, hoping that one day, we'll get there. Everything we do every day is for the benefit of that purpose.

I started asking this question to myself, and it was not a comfortable question because it's buried in the deepest areas of our minds. I felt like I was digging up something I'd never explored before. I'd even wager this desire, this purpose, was created when we were growing up as children. This is because the most essential parts of our personalities and beings were formed in those formative years.

And it's not the "I wanna be" type of desire. It's not the "I wanna be a doctor one day.” I thought it was one of my major goals in life: having a family, being financially free, helping other people. But then I realized they are just instruments to a higher form of something. It's like a feeling, but something you cannot really put into words. The Romans’ word for it was Summum bonum, the highest good.

The highest good is a central concept in ethics, encompassing diverse interpretations across philosophical traditions. For Aristotle, it is eudaimonia, a life of virtuous fulfillment leading to human flourishing or, in our modern understanding, "happiness.” Epicurus identifies it with pleasure, specifically the absence of pain and distress. Stoicism posits that virtue, living in accordance with nature, is the highest good. In medieval Christian thought, it is union with God, achieving ultimate happiness. Kant combines virtue and happiness, where the highest good aligns with moral duty. Utilitarianism defines it as maximizing happiness for the greatest number. Existentialists like Sartre emphasize authenticity, living true to oneself. Contemporary views often adopt a pluralistic approach, integrating happiness, potential fulfillment, and meaningful relationships. Despite varied definitions, the highest good represents the ultimate goal and most valued end in human life.

What is the end of human life? The end of the will to live? The highest of the desires, or perhaps the absence of it? In a postmodernist view, the highest good may just be anything. But I think the highest good is actually rather simple. It's so simple that it passes by our eyes every day. It's so obvious that we are desensitized to feeling it, doing it, understanding it.

This is not a trick answer. Every single religion that has ever existed philosophized and pursued two things that are basically two sides of the same coin: understanding of the self and the world around us.

Just look at the belief systems of some of the most prominent religions that exist today and that no longer exist. In Buddhism, the pursuit of enlightenment is fundamentally about understanding the nature of reality and the self, transcending suffering through mindfulness and presence. Hinduism emphasizes self-realization and the unity of the individual soul (Atman) with the universal soul (Brahman), achieved through various paths like meditation, devotion, and righteous living. In Christianity, the journey towards salvation involves knowing God and understanding His creation, with an emphasis on living a life of love and compassion in the present moment.

Ancient Greek philosophy, too, underscores this dual pursuit. Socrates famously advocated for self-knowledge, while the pre-Socratic philosophers sought to comprehend the cosmos. Even the Stoics emphasized understanding the natural order and one's place within it as key to achieving virtue and tranquility.

Thus, the highest good, in its simplest and most profound form, is the complete understanding of oneself and the universe. This understanding comes through a deep presence in the current moment, aligning one's thoughts, actions, and being with the truth of existence. It is in this alignment that we find the essence of the highest good, reflected in the wisdom of the ages and the practices of countless spiritual traditions. Simply put, every single thing we do is always, and will eventually be directed, to the understanding of the self and the world.

The man in the short film experiences the highest good in its purest form. His kindness is a symptom of his understanding of himself and his position in this temporary life. He understands that there is no point in vanity and that what's most important is what he understands about the world and himself. While he does those things for other people, he is stolen from the stream of time. He's always in the moment. What does not exist when our minds are in the moment? The past and the future don't exist. When that busy flow of time in our heads disappears, we become one with ourselves and the world around us, and there is peace.

Now, when I go back to that question, "What is it that you desire the most?" I think of being able to reach a full understanding of myself and the world, for only through this can I become a more profound participant in everything I do for others.

If this is so, why do many of us seem to be lost? The simple answer is twofold:

First, we are afraid to confront the world. Many of us have no skills, no real understanding of the basic nature of where we live, how anything can be taken away from us, how everything is temporary. Our lives seem too long for us, so we often deny the possibility of absence, of oblivion. “It’s not going to happen to me tomorrow,” our brain says.

Second, we are afraid of ourselves. We cannot sit still and really ask and talk to ourselves because we are afraid that our greatest fears will materialize. It’s easier to be busy and let time pass by than sit still, thinking about your body, your mind, and what has come of you. Even though the highest good is simple, it’s not easy to attain. Like any valuable skill, it requires time and experience.

However, the highest good is always accessible. To start, try sitting still, doing nothing, and not thinking of anything. You will find that this seemingly peaceful stance is actually the most uncomfortable because it is when you become truly aware of yourself.

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Until next week,