Personal goodness will not change the world

A hard lesson: What is a good man in a corrupt institution, that has created great harm over the centuries… and continues to create suffering and harm? Or a good man who becomes president of a country that has staked out the claims of an empire, and cannot, for all their goodness, change the nature of that state?
The goodness of the person has no bearing on the reality of the institution they represent. I don’t doubt the goodness of Pope Frances… or President Obama. But pointing out their essential goodness as persons should tell us something about the irrelevance of personal goodness–once that person has committed to being an instrument of the destructive institution.
Better save, and dedicate our “goodness” as outsiders, outriders, gadflies and provocateurs bent on replacing those structures… and willing, yes…even that… willing to sacrifice personal “goodness” when it does nothing more than serve the powers we need to destroy.