Good Will - What is it and where does it come from?
In philosophy class, we were discussing Kant and Machiavelli. One of the topics that came up was good will. Both philosophers have mentioned good will before and both have different ideas of it. It got out class wonder, where does good will come from? Is it something you have, or something you must acquire?
To me, good will is not something you have or something you acquire, but instead something that you do. Good will is helping out those in needs without being forced to and without expecting any rewards. It is acting out of your own intentions to improve the lives of those around you. Whether it be something as simple as donating clothes to a charity, buying someone an ice cream, assisting someone in completing a task, or donating money, as long as it comes from your intentions and you expect nothing in return than it is good will.
Although good will is not something that you can aquire, there are many things that you can aquire my choosing to act on good will. Although you should not expect anything in return while helping others on your own intentions, there are some natural benefits that you may gain. By helping others, whether they know you helped them or not, you will feel a sense of satisfaction; like you made a difference in someone else's life. It will boost your moral and may possibly cause you to choose to help others more.
I also belive that good will can be contagious. It is just like the movie pay it foward; if you choose to help someone else, even if they are a complete stranger, they will feel grateful and happy. They will probably feel important and faithful that they're are people everywhere willling to help them. This feeling may lead them to want to help others, so they can get the same sense of relief and gratitude.
So to me, good will is not something you acquire, but instead something that you choose to do without expecting rewards. It is something that is contagious; if one person acts upon good will, the person they helped is likely to go out and help someone too!