finding good unites a small community of people who are committed to reconnecting with nature and the simplest parts of our humanity.
Inspired by the Buddhist principle of “interbeing” — the belief that everything in the universe exists in tandem, and that there is no independent state of existence — finding good is our interminable journey to finding goodness again. Through reconnecting with nature and seeking inspiration in literature, we can come back into harmony with everything around us, each other, and ourselves.
Each month, we come together to read a fiction or non-fiction book or poem that explores human nature and/or the natural world in a meaningful way, dedicating a moment out of our busy lives to breathe, reflect, and re-prioritise. These reads are occasionally supplemented by relevant extra readings, journal articles, podcast episodes, artworks, reflective questions, or even connections to current affairs, to spark deeper thought and understanding for those interested.
At the end of the month, we host either an in-person meeting in London, or an online meeting, where everyone can partake in discussion and share their thoughts freely but kindly. When possible, we also host conversations with writers, guest speakers or academics, which members can sign up for online.
Please click here or reach out to us through email or Instagram with questions, feedback or collaboration opportunities.
Aside from the book club, members are also invited to sign up for relevant external events, such as retreats, hikes or volunteering opportunities.
Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons,
It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.– Walt Whitman, “Song of the Open Road”
There are opportunities for members to contribute to our blog, “on paper.”, either by signing up to be a regular writer/editor, or by making or responding to an article pitch. See more about becoming a writer here.
Members can submit their photographs and artwork to be posted on our site or social media by email.
our story
The idea for finding good was born during a trip to Namibia in the summer of 2025. Having grown up in the bustling cities of Hong Kong and London, it was my first time being in such all-encompassing proximity with nature, and experiencing such total vastness. On the first two days of our trip, I saw all sorts of animals come together at the watering hole, as our guide explained to us the ways in which they worked together to survive. Wildebeests and zebras, for example, shared a symbiotic partnership — the former, contributing their sense of smell, and the latter, their sight. They tended to travel together, he said, because they can make up for each others’ deficiencies and be better guarded against predators — and sure enough, we saw this to be true over the duration of our trip. This was the first moment on the trip that I was shown the wonderful ways in which nature, animals — everything, really — instinctively, naturally, work together, all the time.
Ours was an incredibly serendipitous journey. One day, travelling through the Namib desert, we came across a humpback whale that had recently died and washed up ashore. As a lone seagull surveyed its magnificent form from above, two seals engaged in passionate (and loud! they were having fun) sex twenty feet ahead. I made a joke about the circle of life — one life ending while another is being conceived — but there was something honestly awe-inspiring and quite moving about the two scenes occurring before us, if you think about it. It is the circle of life, in action — how much we have in common with these animals, how small we are, and how blessed I felt in that moment, to be lucky enough to be able not only to exist, but to intellectualise the miracles of our existence. The Namib desert seemed to stretch endlessly, and it was the most liberating feeling to run with my bare feet in the warm sand, sun pulsing down onto our backs while the ocean breeze cooled us, so grateful to be alive at the same time, in the same plane as all of this.
All this to say, we all exist together, with animals, with nature, in this one great, wide world. There is not one of us that can exist independently or individually. We are composed of the world, the water we drink, the food we eat, but we, too, make up the world around us, are part of that ecosystem that gives back into the universe just as we gratefully take away. It is only natural to come together, to relish in our togetherness, and aim to do as much good as we can for this incredible world around us. We have a duty — to each other, and to ourselves — to do it.
My favourite essays that I’d written for my English undergraduate degree were all about the natural world as an antidote for human corruption and returning to our roots, but it took this trip for me to recognise this pattern in my thinking, my longing for better times. At its core, finding good is about connecting with other people, and staying grounded, motivated, by our collective duty to do good deeds for each other and ourselves.
finding good 