Being good and doing the right things should be natural behavior for all of us but it usually isn't. For many people, being a good person and a good citizen is considered to be somehow, unimaginably, an affront to their freedom and personal liberty. But that is not what life is about.
Earth is a planet for you to enjoy and a place for you to learn about life during your "first time at bat" as a willed creature. The world is not a playground just for our amusement and pleasure. That is the smaller picture of who and what we are and why we are here. The big picture of our Earthling sojourn is to overcome our natural beginnings and strive for an eternal life that we must earn.
The way to being a good person and a good citizen who does the right things is like climbing a cosmic ladder to eternity. On this ladder there are four rungs for us to climb on our way to becoming a good person and a good citizen who does the right things.
The First Rung
Being good and doing the right things because you are afraid you will be punished if you don't.
The Second Rung
Being good and doing the right things because you want others to do the same for you.
The Third Rung
Being good and doing the right things because you want to be a good person who does the right things.
The Fourth Rung
Being good and doing the right things because you want what is best for others.
