Not many realise it but there is an inherent problem with goodness. It is almost as if its pure genetic make-up has been tainted with one glaring weakness, like a defective chromosome that cannot help from surfacing. Sadly, and this is the truth, the consequence of goodness doesn’t have to be more goodness. Evil begets evil we have seen, but it doesn’t necessarily follow that goodness must sire more goodness.

It should; but sometimes it doesn’t. Here is an example. The pupils of a certain school, let’s call it Alpha Mater, have a head who is committed to matters of cleanliness and eco-friendliness. As a result, the school premises are at all times squeaky clean. The tiled floors and walkways reflect the untiring work of the cleaning staff. There isn’t a speck of dust on the handrails. You won’t find disused spider webs hanging greyly in wall corners. It has taken six years but the message has now been received loud and clear. The message has also evolved. It started off with ‘Untidiness will not be tolerated’ but has now become ‘Clean always, always clean.’

A sense of pride in the surroundings has been instilled. This is no easy feat in a school of nearly 5,000 pupils. However, now that the seeds of looking after their immediate surrounding have been sown, it was considered time to take the message and spread it beyond the school’s walls. With this in mind, first greening projects were envisaged and carried out. On weekends, pupils from different classes, armed with hundreds of seedlings, would head off on tree-planting projects, especially in areas threatened by concrete edifices. Their work has been noted and even commended in sections of the media. Pictures of happy young tree-planters busy at work, wielding spades, shovels and water cans, have appeared in the press.

Greening project

Signs have been posted to indicate the presence of young saplings. Follow-up squads of pupils have been deputed to monitor the progress of the young plants. A large map on the headmaster’s wall shows details of the growing extent of the greening project. And everyone is happy. Or at least everyone should be. Goodness after all will be reciprocated. Sadly, that is not quite how things work. Awareness and appreciation are two concepts that, it appears, are hard to teach. Well nigh impossible. Information, in some cases, is received through one ear and permitted to exit through the other without being allowed to journey up to the brain. Two months after a batch of pupils plants seven rows of seedlings, the results are there for everyone to see. Each plant is now more than six inches high and looking a healthy shade of green.

However, on this day when a squad of student monitors visits the site they first stare blankly around, wondering if they may have arrived at the wrong place. The plants are nowhere to be found. When the truth is buried under mounds and mounds of scrap concrete it will take a while to register. Some contractor has used the site to dump his building waste. A flurry of telephone calls elicits a muted apology but no offer to clean up the mess. This sadly, is the first of a series of unconcerned responses to ‘goodness’. Other groups of the school’s pupils on clean-up drives sacrifice their weekends spending two to three hours cleaning up plastic-bag-infested neighbourhoods. Nearly always to no avail.

One resident, caught in the act of being a litterbug, was heard casually to remark to her fellow litterbug, “Oh, don’t worry too much, the school kids will be here next week. They will clear it up. It will all be clean again. What a lovely job they do, really. Wish we had this when we were in school.” And that, unfortunately, is sometimes the extent of public goodness in return, via the backhanded compliment delivered with a total lack of empathy.

Kevin Martin is a journalist based in Sydney, Australia.