Are There More Good People In The World Than Bad?
This question was posed by The Hottness the other night. And, she asked for a gut reaction. So, I gave it to her.
From my experience, there are more good people in the world than bad. I just base this on personal experience and the kindness shown to me. Perfect example:
Last week, I was in a gigantic men’s room in some airport I’ve already forgotten. Seriously, this restroom seemed like it was 1K square feet. And the layout was weird. So, I stumbled and groped around and could not find a stall or urinal. In reality, it was probably no more than two minutes, but when you’re desperately looking for a place to pee, it seems a lot longer!
A guy walked in, saw that I was struggling and said, “Can I help you, sir?” Three seconds later and after him simply telling me I could find a urinal to the right, all was good. This kind of thing happens to me constantly. Just someone who sees a need and wants to help. Again, all the time. So, yes, I see there are more good people in the world than bad.
But, let’s look a little deeper into this. Just b/c that guy helped me find a place to pee doesn’t mean he’s not a terrorist. Or a child abuser. Or a felon.
Think of the case in Cleveland from last month. A guy had some women and children locked in his basement for 10 years. But, when they asked neighbors, he was quiet and kept to himself, and even joined in the search party when one of the captive women was discovered missing. So, w/o all the info, he seemed like a generous and kind person. We don’t know the whole story.
What I figured out is this: everyone has the capacity to be both good and bad. Sometimes, maybe in the same minute. I’ve gotta imagine that mass murderers even have some good traits. And I imagine that people we think of as saintly also have bad traits. It’s part of being human, right?
I guess it all comes down to this: do you live your life trying to do good? Or, do you spend your life trying to do what is only best for you? Selfishness is, at it’s heart, inherently bad. And yet? We’re all selfish, to some extent. Ponder that a while.
