The six faces of goodness: A framework for Lebanon

“Goodness does not consist in greatness, but greatness in goodness” – Athenaeus

The quote reflects an inherent understanding that goodness is fundamentally moral, where what is believed to be worthy or admirable is grounded in what is seen as right.

So, though goodness is tied to morality, for it to impact public life, it cannot remain at the level of shared beliefs about what is right. Belief does not necessarily lead to action; a society may agree on what is right and still contradict it in its policies, structures, and other matters within public life.

Therefore, we must distinguish between goodness as a moral claim and goodness as how it can be realised in practice. Goodness, for this article, is then how goodness be structured, particularly in Lebanon.

First, let us briefly address what goodness means on the personal level. Goodness here is experienced as a cherished instinct to preserve oneself. It is the effort to secure physical, mental, and material comfort, to protect the self from threats to wellbeing and happiness. As essential as that is, not all goodness cares or serves this personal level. For Lebanon, this is where we collectively move from “شو وقفت عليي” (Shu we’fit aalaye?) to place greater value on collective, structural, or relational goodness.

Let us dive in by listing 6 interrelated and overlapping orientations of goodness: absolute, ethical, social, political, economic, and educational. To avoid echoing slogans, I will offer exemplary ways of establishing each in Lebanon.

Absolute goodness:

Best understood under civic consciousness, it reflects the idea that all individuals stand as equal members of a nation, governed by laws that apply impartially. The establishment of a civic identity that transcends partisan, ideological, religious and sectarian ideologies.

One way to do this is through the abolition of courts of special jurisdiction, special tribunals, and exceptional rulings. By allocating jurisdiction on the basis of status rather than the nature of the offence, or the nature and substance of the dispute according to their functional specialization. These mechanisms produce differentiated legal treatment and weaken the principle of equal standing before the law.

Ethical goodness:

This form of goodness is expressed in a commitment to the inherent ethical value of the human being, simply by virtue of being human, without any gender-based, sectarian, or regional discrimination. It also entails upholding human values in their universal dimension, beyond the constraints of time and place.

In the Lebanese context, this is reflected, for example, in the struggle for women’s right to pass on their nationality to their children. This right serves as a direct expression of the principle of equality and a rejection of discrimination, embodying the idea that human dignity is indivisible and cannot be constrained by personal identity.

Social goodness:

This form of goodness is expressed in achieving genuine social justice for all, and in the persistent work to ensure human welfare and social security.

It involves the fair distribution of resources and services, ensuring that employment opportunities and essential services reach all citizens based on merit and competence, free from sectarian, regional, or gender-based discrimination, while adhering to standards of integrity and good governance.

Political goodness:

This form of goodness is expressed in reforming political systems and ensuring that power is exercised in a way that reflects the interests of all citizens. In the Lebanese context, this involves completing the implementation of the Taif Agreement, particularly through strengthened administrative decentralisation, while upholding the national pact that guarantees the rights of all Lebanese.

It also entails fostering consensus democracy, avoiding the pitfalls of majority rule justified by sectarian demographics, and resisting minority domination disguised as sectarian entitlement. This requires a shift in political language, replacing references to sects with the principle of good citizenship as the foundation for governance and the fair allocation of power. An example would be reforming the electoral and parliamentary system so that decisions cannot be blocked or delayed through sectarian manipulation, such as misuse of the parliamentary quorum (iktimal al-nissab).

On the level of foreign policy, it requires adopting a policy of positive neutrality, establishing strong diplomatic relations with neighboring countries based on good-neighbor principles and state-to-state parity, pursuing perpetual peace between nations, rejecting violence, and eradicating sectarian or religious incitement and hate speech.

Economic goodness:

In Lebanon, economic goodness is realised when the economy serves the people rather than entrenched networks of loan-seeking and personal/group privilege. This requires reforming financial systems and setting clear strategies for sustainable growth, moving away from reliance on rentier-economy. Transparency and accountability must be ensured through robust oversight mechanisms, while tax policies should be reformed to promote fairness and enable the state to fund essential public services.

Addressing corruption and removing protection for those who exploit the system is crucial, as is implementing a comprehensive financial recovery plan that tackles public debt, restructures banks, and safeguards depositors’ rights. These changes can create an economic foundation that is stable, fair, and inclusive, allowing all Lebanese citizens to participate in growth and benefit from shared prosperity, free from clientelist practices or rentier dependent distortions that undermine both stability and justice.

It is essential to recognize that economic goodness is the foundation for other forms of goodness to take shape. Without equitable distribution, without economic stability, it is harder to achieve a less extreme and violent reality.

Educational goodness:

Educational goodness is realised through a system that is equitable, effective, and capable of forming citizens who are engaged, thoughtful, and skilled. In the Lebanese context, this entails updating curricula to foster critical thinking, active citizenship, and practical skills for contemporary life. Strengthening governance in education ensures quality and prevents discrimination across regions and schools.

Education must also connect to the labor market, providing vocational training and collaboration between schools, universities, and the private sector. In this light, it is worth exploring the possibility of shortening the duration of compulsory schooling and restructuring major examinations, such as the brevet and baccalaureate, to align with modern educational goals. Such reforms would allow students to enter university or join the workforce at an earlier age, equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for further learning and societal participation, while maintaining educational quality. The rehabilitation and reconstruction of technical and vocational schools, encouraging labour without stigma. In this way, education becomes a tangible tool for public goodness, fostering equality, preparing future generations for active citizenship, and strengthening the social fabric of the nation.

To conclude, it is important to admit this is a long and ongoing process. These six faces of goodness are neither exhaustive nor exclusive. Other forms, such as medical goodness, remain equally vital in starting the much needed reform in Lebanon.

If reform is to mean anything, it is the effort to put goodness into practice. The starting point would be to work towards a unified civil identity, a foundation still missing, for us to be Lebanese first.