One thought I have been working with lately is like, when you do bad shit, then like that is bad for you.
Like the things people call sins or the 7 deadly sins, like potentially they are bad for you.
There is a middle way, of course, but like, typically, they can really destroy a life.
The whole idea of 'bad' things, though, has been co-opted by people in power. So it confuses things. It was 'bad' and illegal for white people to marry black people, or for Native American people to exist, or like to have a language or take pride in culture.
So like there is a lot of terrible things that people have said are bad only out of malice, ignorance, and greed. That is not what I am talking about, but it is important to acknowledge. Put more directly, the things that have been taught as bad, in actuality may or may not be. But there are a few things that have been called bad by many cultures, many people, and many religions over time.
These things have a commonality.
The main thing is attachment and craving. They are things that may have a purpose, but people turn to them to fulfill things they were never intended to fulfill.
Alcohol may have a purpose, but it was never meant to fulfill the need for love, for example. Or to end loneliness.
Needing something to be happy.
You do not need anything material.
It is possible to be happy with what you have.
The main things are mental. And there is beauty in the moment.
What makes a good thing? Well, I have noticed that good things tend to have concentration. That feeling of flow. Even something beautiful. It causes attention. A pause in the moment. A reflection.
That feeling of processing something novel, beautiful, and loving.