Be Good, Do Good
An amateur's guide to making the world a better place
by
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From my experience, there are many people out there just like me. Maybe you are one of them. We are people who believe that there is meaning and purpose to life and that if we can live our lives in line with that meaning and purpose, then we will fulfill our calling and enjoy lasting happiness. Yet, we fail. We are people who start out with lofty ideals, but in the harsh reality of living, we find that we are not always able to live up to those ideals. We want to be good—to be wise, compassionate, and joyful persons, but our insides instead are battlegrounds of warring fears and desires for self-advancement, lustful pleasures, and material comfort. We want to do good—to relieve suffering where we can and bring beauty, hope, joy, and comfort to those around us. Yet, we fall short because we are hindered by egotism, ignorance, cynicism, and a lack of resources. Instead of the solid and lasting good that we had hoped to accomplish, we find that our achievements are like egotistical chaff blown away by shifting winds. In many ways, this is a book of questions. What is the good that we should do to others? Why should we do good? Whom should we help? How is it best to help? While the questions are myriad and universal, each of our answers to them must be individual and personal. We yearn for goodness in our hearts and wisdom in our heads to help us answer these questions and to guide us through life. If you are such a person, then I invite you along on this journey with me to examine possible answers to what it means to be and to do good and how we can get better at it.
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About the Book
Be Good, Do Good is a book for people who seek meaning and joy in their lives, and who desire to serve others in an honest and concrete way in today’s rapidly shrinking world. In it the author discusses what it means to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves, and he gives practical advice on how to do that. “This book will cause you to see the world differently and how you can make a difference in it.” -Barry St. Clair “The long disparaged meaning of goodness in our complex society is rediscovered and becomes a genuine possibility.” -Richard Ray “The book beckons to each of us to come to an understanding of our common yearning to live our lives right.” -Hank Ackerman “Tom is no amateur when it comes to inspiring others to ‘do good unto all men.’” -Franklin Graham
About the Author
Tom Frist has spent much of his life trying to make the world a better place. He has taught in a university in India, done social research in Tanzania, founded and directed national organizations for the disabled in Brazil, set up refugee programs in Vietnam and economic development programs in Nicaragua, served as president of international organizations for Hansen’s disease (leprosy) in the U.S. and Europe, and contributed as a board member and volunteer in NGOs. Along with scientific articles, he has previously published several other books: "Don’t Treat Me Like I Have Leprosy," "The Thoughts of a Good Man" (about his father), and a novel, "The Descendant." A new novel, based in the Rio San Juan region of Nicaragua, will be appearing shortly.