Review of the New Book: Most Good, Least Harm

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Review of the New Book: Most Good, Least Harm

Janelle Sorensen

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Around here, we’re fond of saying “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.” It’s not about being perfect, it’s about finding your own harmony.

Zoe Weil has written a book that speaks to living life in balance. Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life is based on a very simple premise: when every individual does the most good and the least harm in their daily choices, those acts of citizenship, community work, volunteerism and interaction create a life of inner and outer peace – and simultaneously create a better world for everyone.

Okay, I admit that in its grossly over-simplified summarization, the book sounds overwhelming. How can you expect that in every daily choice you’ll try to do the most good? How can you commit to something with such an intangible goal as “inner and outer peace”? Just like we don’t expect perfection at Healthy Child, Weil does not expect perfection and is charmingly frank about her own imperfections.

In fact, one of her Keys to a “MOGO” life is to “Strive for Balance.” She recognizes the human need to be selfish now and then. “Unless we take care of ourselves we will not be especially helpful to others.” This Key is imperative for me. As a mom of two young children, a community volunteer, a full-time professional, and a graduate student - I desperately need someone to tell me to take it easy every now and then, so I don’t burn myself out. I am so passionate about all of my roles, I often feel like I should be doing more. Still, I’ve found that when I take care of me, I have more energy and joy in the other things I do. Personally, I’m tired of being tired and feeling guilty. It truly is self-defeating. Thanks for the reminder, Zoe.

One of the other concepts that really struck me as I read the book, was Weil’s idea of “ordinary heroism.” It’s really about the power of one. The power of you. The power of me. Every single action really is important and it’s vital that we recognize that. “If ordinary people can become perpetrators of evil, so, too, can ordinary people become heroes. But we need to create changes in systems and situations in order to make ordinary heroism ubiquitous.” I think an innovative first step towards this ideal would be to designate as much time covering “ordinary heroes” in the media as we do covering criminals and despots.

Weil is inspiring. Her book is never for a single second judgmental or demeaning. There were isolated moments of feeling overwhelmed, but Weil’s humane intuition clearly guided her as she wrote - the moment you find yourself overwhelmed, Weil’s words are there to calm you. Most Good, Least Harm is like sitting with a really wise, close friend. She’ll tell you her opinion. She’ll tell you what’s right. But, she’ll never make you feel bad for being you. She’ll bite her tongue just enough to let you find your own course. And then she’ll be right there to congratulate you in the end. It’s MOGO, through and through. And you can be MOGO, too.