No bird with a broken wing or shattered nest can fly home. If a merciful soul finds the bird and mends its wing, no reward is received other than the joy of extending mercy. Birds thrive in abundance behind Good Will-Hinckley, which is itself a kind of nest, for a home is a nest for parents and children. Good Will-Hinckley provides a home to young people wounded by the accidents of life. For those who provide the care, there is no motive or expectation of reward other than that of doing good.
That is the power of the name “Good Will.” The term reminds us that nothing we do is completely good unless we do it without a selfish motive. Hence, one eminent philosopher said, “there is nothing in this world which is completely good except a good will.”
What has become of good will in Maine?
Gov. Paul LePage prevented Mark Eves, the speaker of the House, from becoming the president of Good Will-Hinckley. In return, Eves announced his intention to sue the governor. A group of lawmakers then publicly spoke about impeaching the governor. Finally, the Government Oversight Committee voted to investigate the governor. Thus, the actions of the governor regarding Good Will-Hinckley became the occasion for an unprecedented outpouring of ill will. The irony is remarkable, and it hardly is coincidental.
The Rev. George Hinckley, who founded Good Will- Hinckley, believed government ultimately is the creation of God, not man. Therefore, the basis of all government — whether in the home, in the school or in the state capitol — is love, love without a selfish motive. Nor is it an effete, sentimental kind of love, as might be misunderstood and misapplied by conservative and liberal alike, but the love of one who has the responsibility and the power to care for the community.
Maine has abandoned this view of government. Legislators do not consider proposed laws in terms of ethics. A fiscal note is attached to each bill to explain the prospect of financial loss or gain, but there is never any consideration of whether a particular law is suited to human nature. Under our system of government, law is based solely on the ability of competing groups and individuals to secure their rights. This is of course a return to the principle of “might makes right,” which is the law of nature, the law of tooth and claw. We should not be surprised, then, when a legislative session ends in recrimination and rancor and a mad dash to see who does or does not obtain a lucrative position.
This irritable and irascible state of mind can be remedied by a liberal dose of good will, free of any admixture of selfish political and personal motives. Above all, the remedy must be free of bitter vindictiveness and an unbecoming desire for revenge. Let those who govern us stop whirring about, circling one another like angry bees ready to sting. Let them go beyond the letter of the law and apply the sweet balm of mercy and forgiveness. Both sides have promised us civility. Let them make good that promise. Let both sides start anew.
In practical terms, let the Maine Legislature end the investigation and let Eves again be considered for the position of president of Good Will-Hinckley.
To say the governor and the Legislature should be guided by good will is in no sense a Pollyannaish recommendation. The noblest of causes, commenced with the best intentions and fought with the best of motives, may end in a debacle. But this controversy started with rancor on both sides. If the Rev. Hinckley could see us now, he would judge us to be the orphaned ones.
Armed with bitterness and hostility, and with no higher authority to whom both sides can appeal, we stumble onward like willful children, unwise and unprotected, and unable to avert a fateful confrontation over a place called “Good Will.”
Fritz Spencer of Old Town is the former editor of the Christian Civic League RECORD.