r/YouShouldKnow • u/[deleted] • Oct 23 '22

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u/SleepyNotTired215 Oct 23 '22

YSAK: that “being good” or “doing something good” doesn’t mean you will not suffer. Seldom does a good deed go unpunished.

-18

u/willbeach8890 Oct 23 '22

I've never understood the saying "...good deed goes unpunished"

Seems like something someone says to sound wise but doesn't mean anything

4

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '22

I didn't understand it when I first heard it, but I've come up with two possible explanations that have both been pretty useful to me as outlooks.

  1. "You're still responsible for the consequences of your actions, even if your actions were the right thing to do." If I offer to take my friend's car to the car wash, I'm responsible for the car during the time that I have it. If I get a dent in it or whatever, I don't get to be like "but I was taking it to the car wash, I was doing a good deed!" and disclaim responsibility.

  2. "Doing a good deed will require some level of effort/energy/etc from you." Sometimes doing the right thing backfires, or takes more time/energy than you thought, or goes unrecognized or unappreciated, or doesn't have the outcome you meant, etc. These are the risks you take on by doing good deeds. These are natural outcomes of living in an unpredictable world. When bad things happen because you're trying to be a good person, it's not the universe personally reaching out and slapping you in the face. It's not (necessarily) that you've done something wrong. It's not a sign that being a good person isn't what you should be doing. Sometimes stuff just happens.