Are you a good person?

[Capm_Spaulding]

I'm 23, so I haven't really made up my mind yet nor had any big tests to discern one way or the other on what I am.
I will say though, my thoughts are that most people are inherently "good," it's just sometimes their actions are perceived otherwise. No one does many things with ill intentions, selfish perhaps, but not ill. Those who do however, often regret it, so I'm not so sure that if you do something bad and feel remorse, you are still bad... within reason of course. People who do "bad" deeds and feel no remorse usually have some sort of mental illness or chemical imbalance so are they even "bad" people? Who knows....
I think we all have different systems for determining what good is, but I'd say most of us do more good than bad when weighed out on a scale, regardless of the intention so I can rest well at night with that on my mind.

 

[RyanSixer]

Even in my short life so far, I've made some decisions that I'd undo if I had the chance, but the past is in the past. Like Josh_S, I haven't had any major tests of character in my opinion. I would say, however, that I feel good about things I've accomplished that will prepare me to be a better person (Eagle Scout, USMA Class of 2019 Appointee, Valedictorian Equivalent).

 

[aviator41]

No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. I try to make fewer and fewer every day. Even good people screw up. I am thankful for those that can forgive me, and I am thankful that I can do some forgiving. Neither happens all the time.

 

[1krr]

Hmmm, I don't know. Never murdered anyone. I still open doors for and smile at strangers. Turned around and went back to offer help to a guy who spun off the road this afternoon. But I get pissed about people who don't offer common curtosies like a turn signal or a thank you. Some of my favorite stories are jackass things I did when I was a kid. I want to leave my little slice of the world a better place than I found it but I don't really know what that means. Does this make me good or bad? Not sure.

 

[Rooster1971]

No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. I try to make fewer and fewer every day. Even good people screw up. I am thankful for those that can forgive me, and I am thankful that I can do some forgiving. Neither happens all the time.

I may need to scratch my posts above after reading your post. I've had a lot of trouble forgiving some people that were close to me. Maybe it's time to let some **** go..

 

[TerryMiller]

Hawgman,

I may be wrong, but it seems like your original comment almost needs to be fleshed out. It's almost like you are asking for more than what you actually wrote. However, no preaching here since we don't know each other. If we did, I'd be calling you.

What creates a good person is determined a lot by how they were raised. I was blessed to be raised in the church of Christ of believing parents and grandparents. In fact, my grandfather was one of the elders of our congregation, but he never spoke of it to me, even though we worked together on his farm. As alluded to by others and yourself, we can say that we are good, but we can't honestly judge ourselves. Mankind is NOT "essentially good" as many would like to say. Just seeing all the misery caused by one group or individual upon others can demonstrate that far more than I can explain the actual "natural" evil nature of man.

How we deal with that is what makes us good or not. I always like to go back to the J-O-Y yardstick from my upbringing. J=Jesus first, O=others second, and Y=yourself third. That is what I try to do, although I will readily and willingly state that I'm not always good on the Jesus first part, thus I am a sinner. I'm also not always good on the Others Second part, because I, like many other humans, have something of a selfish nature. But, I keep working at being better.

I pride myself on being a gentleman, willing to help those in need, but I'm also subject to question the needs of those on street corners with cardboard signs. Some of those people make more money per day than I ever did on an average basis. More than once, I've gone out of my way to help others, so I try to balance out the bad that I've done. I also try to go to church regularly (Sunday morning and evening, as well as Wednesday evenings), and I don't pray enough, but when I do pray, I've tended to try to pray for others and seldom for myself.

I'm sure I could say more, but that might require time over a cup of coffee or a meal. Just for the record, my wife (first and only) and I have been married for 46 years. Commitment started us out, along with liking her, and love grew over time.

Good luck with your questions, and I pray my comments are of some help to you.

 

[henschman]

I think I am a good person. I believe a good person is one who holds a rational hierarchy of values, and remains loyal to them. I think I do a pretty good job of that.

I believe a rational man's highest value is his Self, and his own regard of it. This is the value that allows him to experience all other values. Like the Chairman of the Board sang, "for what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught." After that, his liberty to freely pursue his values should figure pretty highly. Of course, the other people who give the most value and meaning to his life should rank among a good man's highest values as well.

My litmus test for whether an action is good is, does it make me love my Self more, or less?

 

[7stw]

I spent several years not being a good person and I knew it. Hell everyone knew I was a sorry azzed human. I was humbled by a series of events. I had hit a bottom I hope no one else has to hit. I reached out for help and changed absolutely everything. Found and developed a relationship with a god I understand. Quit being so selfish and self-centered and began to put others and their needs into my head and heart. I'm still no where near where I want to be on the "good person" scale but I'm better every day that I try to be of maximum service to god and the people about me. I do things today that a few years ago I would've never considered unless I was going to somehow benefit. It's easy for me to forget what I used to be like and the old behaviors start to creep back in, when they do I recognize them and take the actions I need to travel a different path. Unnatural for a guy like me but it's progress. I know some folks who are hypocritical and say one thing and do another I despise those peoples actions today. I really just follow the golden rule and treat everyone I encounter with the same respect and tolerance (damn hard with some people) that I would like. To answer your question I'm a better person today than I used to be. And unless I do today what I did yesterday I can be a terrible person agin.


Sent from NSA wire tapped device.

 

[Rooster1971]

My Grandmother, the most Godly person I knew, went to to teach in nw oklahoma. She lived with my Grandpas family. They later married for 60 plus years.

She told me my great grandpa was one of the smartest and most generous man she ever met. He would help anyone, give away crops or beef. He was also an atheist and she said she cried when he died because he went to hell.

I might meet him there, who knows. Heard he was a helluva guy. What does it take to make a good person really?

 

[sh00ter]

I think your "official belief" on things is important. While some people see it as hypocrisy if you believe one thing and do another, I think that if you try to stay true to your values but you mess up, it isn't as bad as if you do wrong and do not think you did wrong at all. It is called having a conscience and it can guide you to the right path and help you learn to BE a better person. If you know who you are in your heart, then do not judge yourself too harshly (okay to be disappointed) on the mistakes you've made that betray who you really are. Just learn from them and try to improve next time.

Never give up...the enemy wants you to think you are a bad person but you have to know who you are inside and what you believe, but also know when to pick your battles. It is possible to be tolerant without betraying your values. And you also have to know that you (nor I) know it all...be humble when you can and try to treat others with dignity and respect and be honest but also know when not to speak. That is the advice that came to mind; but I bet you are a good person if you are asking this question...if you need to put more of your values into practice, just know you can't do it all over night...work at it. And if you open your heart to the scriptures, it will help you. There are plenty of good people that do good things regardless of their religion. But even atheist often tout the teachings of Jesus as a historical figure. But I think those who believe in Him and think they are not good enough are bound to be reeled back in at some point. Best wishes Hawgman; if you going through a bad time, it is okay to turn to all of us here.