I’ve been thinking about this lately and since I can’t really put my finger on the answer I thought I would share the question. The question is as follows: What makes a good person good?
Now on the surface it would seem the answer is pretty obvious but it really is far from it. In fact, good, these days, seems to be a very subjective term. Not that many years ago there was a real distinction between good and evil. So let’s examine the issue and some of the things that I see as defining terms and yet not always.
Is a person that goes to church every Sunday a good person? I would submit that this alone will never define a person as good and in fact, I’ve known many people over my years that go to church that could never fall into that category. By the same token, I know many people who do not attend that I would classify as good. So while this part of a person can signify a strength in character and a belief in something bigger then themselves, it does not, in my mind, make you a good or a bad person by itself.
So how about a person with good intentions? I think good intentions are a good thing but not acted upon are not really meaningful. You know about the road to Hell being paved with good intentions right? So again, in my little mind, good intentions without execution are not a true way to measure a person.
Are Republicans good and Democrats evil or is it the other way around? Do politics make a person good or evil. I suppose you could surmise that many in politics are evil but I don’t believe that. I do know that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely but I will leave it at that because this little offering really is not about politics. It’s about traits of a person that make them good or otherwise. Politics falls outside of this discussion because either someone is truthful or they are not and that may be the best way to separate politicians.
Are poor people good? Are rich people good? I would answer both those questions with yes and no. In other words, your wealth or lack of wealth does not make you good or evil. There is a segment of the population that considers all wealthy people to be greedy and evil. I don’t subscribe to that theory. There is a segment that thinks poor people are inherently criminals and only looking out for themselves and I think that is also wrong. While a person’s circumstance in life can influence how they behave you cannot categorically claim that all in one group or another are good or evil. It’s all about actions.
This is not an issue that is so cut and dry. In my opinion a good person is a combination of traits that incorporate a giving spirit, a helping hand, and basically a person looking out for their fellow man. I think church is a great thing but you need to be involved in a way that is serving as well as receiving. If you only attend every service to gain forgiveness and enable you to return to your less than good ways it is meaningless. So when you look at the religious person, it still comes down to execution of morals and principles in this world.
Finally I think the best judge of a person is not when you are watching their behavior or following their actions but more when you are not. Integrity is just that. When no one is watching how do they behave and act? Why do they do what they do? Do they give to a charity or give of their time to attain some sort of status within their community? Do they want everyone in the world to know they gave to a charity? So you see, in my eyes, action without the right intentions can also be a troubling way to judge a person.
That’s all for now. This good and evil thing can be a very daunting task to actually recognize because probably the most giving, generous and loving people on this planet don’t do it for recognition….they do it because they are good.
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