Benevolence

Most people want good for themselves. Most people want good for other people at least in general at least in the abstract sense, unless it’s in opposition to their own desires. I have honestly been confused between “benevolence” and “beneficence,” and in my work & research environment had more commonly encountered the latter. Upon looking it up, beneficence means an action meant to benefit others, whereas benevolence is the disposition or will to do good for others. It makes sense that within a secular world, even in healthcare, you cannot enforce one’s desire to do good, but you can ensure that beneficial actions are carried out.

The idea of the “most benevolent outcome” is the idea of the best possible result, even when taking into account the broader picture that may not even be visible to you. It is an intention that can be set when hoping, wishing, praying, or magic-making. It’s its own little fail safe in that you know that you aren’t going to have the “be careful what you wish for” outcome. You know the type… you got that new car you’ve been wanting because a family member got into an accident, that sort of thing.

MBO is a concept for which I’ve seen people and traditions strive, but have never seen such a simple and concise term. The easy example is magic(k). You want something, you do a couple of things (or one significant thing) to represent what you want, and word your intention very carefully so it doesnt explode metaphorically (or literally) in your face, or all over someone else like those you care about. And if you’re not sure what’s best, you can ask the universe for something good for you, but have to again be clear that you dont want anything bad as a consequence. In Christian prayer it’s often asking for something very specific and hoping it will be granted, or asking for “the best” that can come of a situation but generally with onesself in mind.

This is much more concise, and much better and boiling down the essence of “I’m hoping for the outcome that’s the best for everyone.” If the best thing involves a temporarily uncomfortable situation, then imagine what the worst would be! Someone else might suffer more, or you might have gone through life all the worse for missing what that unconfortable situation taught or prepared/set you up for.

One example of my own MBO use was around the holidays. We were driving a car that had been lent to us and had to park it temporarily in a congested urban area. I was stressed about all angles of the situation. After I finally thought of it, I set an MBO for the parking of the car. I didn’t want us to find a parking spot that someone else desparately needed, or one that would put us at high risk of getting hit or broken into. So I didn’t wish for a particular parking spot, just the MBO. And ultimately, everything worked out, and we and the car were in one piece. Even more than that, a good chunk of my anxiety was released. We were doing all that we could already. What would be would be. I was able to recognize and release all the tension I was holding. So needless to say, this is something that I will use (and already have used) again.