THERE is a constant, quiet whisper that resides within each one of us. The whisper is a heartbeat that paints every breath we take. It hides itself amidst the noise of daylight. In the night, however, when the world is quiet, we hear it clearly in our ears—like the laughter of a river. They are the unnamed thoughts that bind guilty willingness to involuntary errors. They are the darkness so bitter that we cannot face them long enough to conceal them. So, instead, we pretend that they do not exist. We call these things desires, but this is a false name. In reality, they are called impulses.

Impulsiveness has gradually become one of the hallmarks of Generation Z. Our generation seems to be centred around speed, excitement, and immediate gratification. Life is an itch that must be scratched, and time is an obstacle meant to be survived. Most of our technology and innovations are centred on saving us time—how to live longer, how to do tasks faster, or how to reach goals in smaller steps. These changes in our world have led to corresponding changes in our behaviour. We have become far more impulsive. Impulsiveness, of course, is a powerful force that can determine what kind of person we are.

This brings us to the question: what exactly differentiates a good person from a bad one?

Does having bad thoughts make us bad people? If so, this would mean that everyone who has been angry or upset is a bad person. Perhaps someone who does good things becomes a good person by virtue of their actions. But that too would not be acceptable—it would excuse every wrongdoer from the responsibility for their actions, as long as they did something good afterwards.

The truth is, human beings cannot be categorised as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. We are all made of good and bad parts. We have all done good things and had bad thoughts, or vice versa. More importantly, regardless of what we have done or thought, we are capable of change. This means that someone who may have made terrible choices in the past may now be a person who makes the right choices to help people and contribute to the world in a better way. A thief can become a philanthropist, and a liar can become an honest man—all through practice and time.

Our goodness lies in how we respond to the world as it carries us through life. Some of us are condemned to live more difficult lives than others. Yet, even as we stand in the face of cruelty and injustice—even as we are hurt—we make the intentional choice not to lash out or cause harm. Our goodness is our ability to control the ‘bad’ impulses, even when it seems like the most difficult thing to do.

When we practise giving in to our impulses in seemingly harmless situations, we unintentionally teach ourselves that impulsiveness is the normal way to approach life—that it is okay to hurt when we are hurt, and to destroy when parts of our own lives are destroyed.

Sometimes, our impulses become a mask that hides our true capabilities and powers. They can diminish the light of the good parts that we hold in our hearts. The only way to find freedom from our impulses is to practise it in our lives. Try making choices that are not instantly gratifying, but instead contribute to a better life or a better world. Try to make small sacrifices to achieve goals rather than taking shortcuts. If you see that a method can help you learn more, even if it takes longer, choose it anyway.

There is great strength in someone who can be kind and gentle even when thrown into a brutal world. This strength is the material that will create a generation capable of building a magnificent legacy—even when it has been dealt a bad hand.