Higher life is equipped with innate ethics. An act of Goodness exercises these ethics. A Good thing embodies these ethics.
Your personal understanding and prioritization of the Good will shape your Secular Monastic life. It will be unique to you, and only you will feel if the processes facilitates a better, increasingly Good life for you.
You’ll need to do some thinking on what Good things you are interested in focusing on. Your set can be broad and diverse, but you should emphasize two or three that you find exceptionally compelling. I recommend including at least one that can double as a meditative process.
Here are some examples.
The Goods that I focus on are ecology, biodiversity, and music. They are both interesting and valuable not only to me but to the world- in my perception. Much of my career and home is dedicated to supporting native ecosystems and rescued animals. I also study ecology through continued reading and observation. I practice music which puts me in a good head, so to speak. It relaxes my mind and helps me be more receptive to enjoying and cultivating all Good, particularly my foci.
Much like music for me, yoga, juggling, running, swimming, cycling, hiking and other solitary sports, visual art, dance are all great ways to let your mind into a state of flow or meditative quiet or deep focus. This isn’t a magical process. It’s simply giving your mind and often body a chance to stretch and get some air. Find some of these activities that you can mix into your routine. If they are coincident with your Good in some way, all the better.
A central objective of Secular Monasticism is to cultivate Good, and in some way, most all of your efforts and decisions should move in this direction. If you’re a fireman, nurse, or teacher, that might be easy to do. But what if your impassioned career is selling shoes, and you’re wicked good at it? How does that promote Goodness that resonates with you? Do you like selling shoes because by properly fitting them, it helps people get around, or by advising about style, you help people grow confidence? Chances are that if it’s something you find motivating (aside from an addiction or codependence), there’s something Good in there, and you will benefit from understanding that passion.
Your choices of Good need not be strict and permanent. People grow and change. But contemplate what is Good to you, and how you can cultivate and experience that in a deeper and more effective way.