What words of wisdom would you pass on to your family, friends and society?

That’s a tough question to answer, isn’t it? Additionally, I expect very few of us have mulled over that issue because of the busyness of our daily lives. Of course, many of us have the reaction that we don’t have such words of wisdom. Isn’t that matter usually left to the more knowledgeable folks in society?

For me I firmly believe each of us has wisdom to offer others, and in that frame of mind, I offer these thoughts.

But first, let me take a sip of Versasi Italian Sweet Marsala and be inspired by its goodness. Such sweetness must lead to goodness so … onward!

As a young lad, I was encircled by people instructing me and others to be good. Did being good mean always obeying their statements of what to do and what not to do? Or, was there more to this goodness thing?

Again, I expect we’ve all learned there’s more to being good than just following the dictates of others. We’ve all learned that goodness is planted, has to be nurtured and, then, passed on to others. Being good is giving respect.

In today’s society, we seem to have gone down the rabbit hole that tells us it’s alright to be uncivil and foster bad thoughts about people who don’t believe or think as we do. When we don’t allow the other person to speak, continually interrupt them and belittle their thoughts, is that being good?

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Being open to that type of thinking helps to foster goodness. And by the way, being or doing good is not being a wishy washy whatever. Goodness is a basic human trait, and such thoughts can be found in any religion, philosophy or social teaching. Again, it’s about respect.

Are all people good? I can “see” you shaking your head an emphatic:”NO!” Well, let’s have a talk about wines to help us answer that question.

Are all wines good? Once we get past the fact that some wines to go bad, we can think about other aspects of wine.

First, I am quite certain no vintner tries to make bad wine. That would be a very bad business decision! Usually, when a wine goes bad, it’s because of cork issues, mishandling or the wine was held way beyond its shelf life. These things happen, and I’m quite certain the wine maker doesn’t advocate such happenings.

Secondly, in my humble estimation, all wines are good. You may not like the taste of the liquid, but that’s a personal matter. Again, don’t berate the beverage and bad mouth the producer. Let’s show some goodness by respecting the wine maker’s time and labor in making the wine. Likewise, don’t berate or be unkind to someone just because their opinion doesn’t match your opinion. Again, it’s a personal choice so be respectful each other.

For a long time, I tried to summarize this concept of civil behavior, and I finally believe it can be encapsulated by the phrase: “Be good, do good.”

In the hope that I live this phrase, I fully know some of my actions will not always be on target. Yet, there’s always hope, right? When confronted by a tense moment, I try to take a deep breath and find someway to smooth the moment with patience, and a bit of humor. Hopefully, this will finally direct me to goodness, and I’ll be good and follow that by doing good.

You see, being good and doing good can be very darn difficult. We must live what we preach, and in doing so, we will learn a very important lesson of life — be respectful.

In an effort to pass on this thought, a number of years ago I began a journal dedicated to our grandchildren, and by extension, to our children. One day they will all see this journal and I hope they hear by voice when they read it.

The journal’s message is to never forget that none of us are perfect nor all good. At the end of each rendering, I write “Be good, do good” in the hope that little phrase will be planted in their minds and that they will always show respect in their lives.

Before I end this writing, I’ll pause and have another sip of my Marsala. It’s perfection reminds me of my imperfection. Now, for those ending words of wisdom…

Be good, do good!