Why do some people have to work at being good?

Some people have to work hard at being good while others seem to display an innate goodness appearing to be predisposed to good and religiousity like Mother Terera or the Saintly Souls who do it for goodness sake. Some people try to be good but fail even after trying, yet some are good without trying it seems?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/questions-and-answers/36865-why-do-some-people-have-work.html
I came to learn that no one asked my father to do nitnem,but when he was just five he started asking his mum to learn from the sant how to do paath and since then he never sets an alarm, it's second nature to him. He started waking early to do paath as a small child with no coaxing whatsover and when he tried to instruct my children they showed no interest in praying much less rising early to do so, this reminded me of why the Greeks thought of enthusiasm as a God. I wish I did not have to remind myself or make an effort to set the alarm and conciously try to make my Self do it , I do it because I know I should.He does it because he has almost a divine enthusiasm, sort of a deep instinct to do it.He seems to know what is right naturally and does it, while I have to think about what is right and sometimes still fail to do it.I'm talking about the subtle difference from the one who does nitnem or good deeds because he is told that he must do them and the one who being too young to discern or oblivious to doctrine somehow starts doing what he is supposed to?

 
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sBu ko bolY Awpx BwxY ] Everyone speaks as they please.

Sounds like he has found a connection with Naam and therefore feels pleasure in what he does. If you are forcing the connection rather than feeling it, the same tasks that give your father happiness become a chore for you. That is what I perceive from your post

Way Ji thanks for posting, I thought you were avoiding me ,your perception is good but I never felt it a chore,I just felt it a duty to do sadhana because it tells us in Gurbani to do it,but his sadhana started so young it was almost as if he was a child just copying the village sant and now his state of being is altered and he knows unequivocally what the right thing to do is.

Three days ago last week ekdn i was invited by the chief monk of the Sri lanka Vihara - one of KL's largest Buddhist Temples for some help on their ongoing EDUFair project whereby they provide free books uniforms shoes etc to poor children. The Monk was very enthusiastically telling me about "true" stories he had been told....i will just quote one. Its about a soldier in Taiwan who bought a dog his company had brought for slaughter. This soldier paid his entire monthly allowance to rescue the dog which later turned out to be pregnanat as well. Long story short, a few months later while they were marching to the "front", another soldier insisted on taking his place at the front of the line..and that soldier was hit by a shell and died. The monk told the soldier the good deed about the dog saved him. No doubt the story is "true" ( in the sense that it happened and all) BUT theres no proof of any connections between saving the dog and misisng death by shelling..thats is merely conjecture. I was then taken to the temple library and saw that almost all the books therewere about simialr true stories...the Buddhist monks were telling people to do good to get good.. and uisng these types of tales which to me sounded ???? unconvincing reason to do good....GOOD emerges from Good naturally....Dya..compassion is not all about killing and blood only....

I was having a disagreement with a Muslim online about something in Islam, and got even more frustrated when he said "I wasn't going to come back and tell you this but so I'm not deemed as irresponsible on the day of judgement I will tell you".
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36865

I said "so you're not replying to me for the good of it or educate people, but only to save your own soul on judgement day??"

It is very rare to find someone who will do a good thing for the sake of doing a good thing -- most everyone wants to get something good back for it. I used to make the argument that the mormons who came to by door on Sunday were doing it because they want to save souls. My husband pointed out they're only doing it to save their own!

We are all different, my perception of prayer and the praise of god, is that god himself does not need this praise, or the prayer, I do not think god is pleased if you pray and praise him, or angry if you do not,. My understanding is that sikhs pray and praise and for themselves, ie, they are so happy to have a connection, that they have to pray, as a lover in the early stages of love constantly thinks of the adored, sings songs, writes poems, thus, the sikh who truly has this connection is eager to show love, adoration, praise, in order to express the happiness of the connection,.

Sinnerji, I admire you hugely for your actions, I hope one day you feel the same way as your dad, and as someone that does not praise or remember god, purely because I do not have the connection your dad does, I am not sure whether the time is better spent in attempting to get the same connection as your dad, or attempting to emulate the end result of that connection, but only you know that.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36865

My own view is that knowledge, information, discipline may assist me in that connection, together with a bit of faith, otherwise , for me anyway, it is a bit like being in love with someone, but that love being a bit of a chore. But even then, you cannot force yourself to love something or someone no matter how beautiful they are, or how good it could be for you,
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36865

I would like to think that when my time comes, it just flows

However veerji, I admire you for wanting to emulate your father, and for the time and effort you clearly put in in trying to achieve this

Harry Ji My father was just the example but I see in this world people who struggle with addiction or bad habits like watching porn etc and others who seem to have a wholesome aspect to their being.It is hard to believe Mother Teresa ever struggled to make herself good it's as if she was born with goodness.

I think we all struggle with doing good for goodness sake and doing good as a duty. Some of us can hide our unwillingness (unwantingness?) better than others. Maybe it's an acceptance thing? You accept that to do good is your duty? Doing it for duty's sake has to be better than doing it for one's own self, right?

In fact, can you ever WANT to do good just for the sake of doing good if you don't get something out of it? Is it not "better" to do the good that no one wants to do because it's your duty - because it's right? Not for any personal gain, money or sense of fulfillment or pride? Just a sense of having done your duty? I dunno, just thinking out loud.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36865

I do admire your father's dedication, though! Good on him, and good on you for noticing it in a positive way.

Isi Misi Ji
I think dedication and enthusiasm, like faith ,are God given, my dads brother is the exact opposite of my dad,my children don't seem to be religious minded yet, thats not to say they are not good ,one is very good like his mum and ones a devious sod like me! I heard on the radio that George Gently the detective is good without working at being good and that prompted the post.It made me start thinking about disposition and innate traits.