Do you think of yourself as a good person ?

That's a hard one. In today's society it is really hard to define what it means to be a good person. I think a good person by definition is basically respectful of themselves and others regardless of religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disablity and so on. I would say I am a good person but as anyone else would admit i am far from perfect and I bet the majority of people would say the same.

Can you imagine what better world we could live in with we all acknowledged our imperfections and realized that's enough for us not to judge one another and the way they live their life.

 

Deep down inside?no I'm not.

But i have ideals that i hold to myself so I'm trying to be as good of a person as i can.

Still I'm glad I'm not an entirely good person.it's who i am.
And everything can be both good and bad.my worst traits are in a way also my best.

 

I think so.

 

Not at all.

 

No. I don't think anyone is a "good" person. Not really, anyway. People are too complicated for labels as black and white as "good" or "bad."

I can be selfish. I can be cruel. I can be manipulative. Sometimes I can look at the suffering of others and not care at all. Makes me sound like an asshole, right? Because I am an asshole sometimes. But I try to put others first more often than not. I try to be as kind and compassionate as I can, as often as I can. I try to ease people's suffering whenever possible. So.... I'm a shit person, but a decent one at the same time. I think as long as a person tries their best to be "good", then they're "good enough."

 

Even most bigots are actually decent people

 

Yes. Well, at the very least I try to be. I'm vegan, I donate to Amnesty, I try to buy fair-trade and I avoid the consumerist attitude. I try to look towards the future.
Once I'm better at expressing my emotions through art, I want to focus on social issues.
I try to be kind and considerate, and I'm honest about myself and to myself. I am forgiving.

I have my shortcomings too though. I am a little self-centered — and vain, too, despite being mostly sapiosexual. Sometimes I laugh at and generally despise people that I don't know and who I deem as ugly and unworthy. I sometimes tell white lies and/or withhold my true thoughts to avoid hurting other people's feelings.

 

I like the contrast between Gandalf and CrazyAwkward's answers. Is everyone decent, or is no one good? I tend to believe the latter. I don't think of myself as a good person. I don't think I'm a complete asshole, either, but... No. Not a good person.

 

I think crazyawkward put it perfectly there are no saints and there are no demons we are all a mix of both

 

Let's talk about cognitive dissonance next!

 

Be the change you want to see in the world.




ie, go create a thread if you want to talk about something

 

I really don't think there can be a concrete definition of "good" and "evil". Both are defined by some sort of cultural/human context and that varies wildly from person to person.

I think the most any of us can do is just be respectful of other people and what they do. Live and let live and don't judge other people for their choices, basically. I at least try to do that, though I have a habit of being terribly judgmental.

 

Nah, not really, I wasn't serious at all, too much effort talking =P

 

Not very. I've got a lot of terrible qualities to myself, I think.

 

Where to begin, where to begin?

Mm...

As has been presented, 'good' is up to the individual perceiving. Some folks share a common collection of agreed-upon beliefs, usually in the form of religion or common fuckin' sense. I mean, most of us can agree, killing somebody is a typically frowned upon. But am I 'good', just because I don't murder?

It's easy to be relatively mannered and well behaved, when temptation or opportunity aren't present. When those two show up, suddenly:

I'm not shooting that person becomes I do not want to shoot that person, but a tiny part of me might, but I would prefer not to, if, say, your family were being threatened. Or a close friend or partner. Sure, this isn't likely to happen, but it is - still though unlikely to happen - possible -- and something to consider.

"That's cute and all, Kaiser. But 'Do you think of yourself as a good person?'"

Right, right.​

At my core, no.

However...

The fact I admit this, is very telling. I don't see a need to shy away from letting people know, I possess remarkable potential to be a dick of the utmost proficiency. And I do my best to keep it under control, since my first inclination to most things is to be snappy, and almost condescending. That, too, says something.

If we go by records, no, I'm not very close to 'good'. If we go by accomplishments, well, this is dependent upon the one whom is critiquing. What may be an accomplishment to me, may just be common sense or second nature for somebody else, and it comparatively has little personal value, thus making it insignificant. If we go by deeds, perhaps, as this once more depends upon the one being asked for judgment, but we also have to consider motives.

I am as kind and patience as possible, with everybody, until they give me reason not to. Sometimes, though, that reason may be something petty -- and this is where a crippling flaw of mine surfaces:

I'm one egotistical bitch.​

That compliment about how pretty your eyes are? That's true. That verbal gesture about how clever you are? That's an affirmative. I'm not going to intentionally lead you on, but I won't hide that there is a pool of confidence within this body either. I used to sabotage moods on a daily basis, and looking back, it is a terrible piece of history to reflect upon. Life can be hard, and there is no reason to make it harder, as lame as that sounds.

But I'm going to make it. At the end of the day, I must preserve myself.
If I don't, can I expect anybody else to do as fan-fuckin'-tastic of a job as me?

P'fft~! Of course not!

Nobody is replaceable. You may find somebody to fill a spot, but they can't be exactly what and who you are. The person who inherits your position might be A- material, and you were A+ material. While both are still great, they aren't quite the same -- and this is what drives, I believe, practically every single thing I do. Will I still be in a favorable condition/situation?, is what I ask myself basically.

That potential hubris makes me dance with arrogance, at times. I can go from 'respecting' somebody to 'tolerating' them, and this is something I occasionally struggle with, even today. I would say looking down upon somebody, simply to satisfy the ego, is not a very 'good' quality. But I have tamed it better than ever thought, so, once again, there's half a credit.

If we asked Santa Clause if I would be on the Naughty or Nice List, it is likely I'd be a last-minute addition to either category. Sometimes I level out at kind, instead of climbing to kindest, just like I may allow snarky instead of ruthless. So, this leaves one area:

Individually state each and every stance I have, on each and every individual issue there is. But nobody has time for that, and they shouldn't. I like to think I at least know what the 'good' choice is in any given situation, and while that may not stop me from opting for the more questionable option in some of them, there is a slight comfort in knowing I possess some sort of conscience -- or at the very least, an idea of 'good' and 'not good'.

There are four things I can say, without a doubt, that are 'you-will-dies' 'pet peeves' of mine, that are practically impossible to ever justify:

- Hurt a child.
I catch your ass messing with a child physically or -- Lord help you -- sexually, your dentist is going to wonder what the hell happened to your teeth, since the last time you went.

- Coercion. Rape. Violation. Any of that. Period.
If I hear you did this type of stuff, let alone I see it. After your dentist is left baffled at your fucked-up mouth, your doctor is going to wonder what happened to your face.

- Social Discrimination, primarily in the forms of minorities, LGBT+, sex/gender, age.
Don't hate on somebody for something petty. It's unproductive, stupid, and a big waste of time that could go towards, oh, I don't know, maybe feeding some kids or providing birth control to women. I hear da homos could use da equal rihtz 2, how 'bout we get on that?

- Steal my Chicken McNuggets.
I got a 20-piece, it didn't "just come with 19", LOL.


By those core four, I'd say I qualify for being considered a peek into the pearly gates, at least.

^.~​

 

I don't know to be honest....I don't think many people qualify as a "good person." That is such a difficult question...I'm living in a nice house where we waste food and water when there are people who would do anything to get some good food or a drop of clean water. So no, I am not. No one really is.

 

Nope. I think I'm mostly a bad person with mostly good intentions.

A lot of people say I'm sweet/kind/understanding. I appreciate it and I think I need to hear it. Although I don't know if I should laugh or cry when people say ridiculous things such as how I wouldn't be able to hurt a fly. I know it's only a figure of speech, but, I feel angry when I hear such nonsense because I feel underestimated. I can think twisted thoughts such as "if only you knew about ____, then you'd have the full picture, but, you might not like me anymore because it would encourage you to acknowledge the darkness within yourself."

I'll try to put one of my difficulties into perspective. I read a book about non-violent communication. It was hard going. It's a bit like somebody that struggles with basic math suddenly attempting advanced calculus. I can understand, at least on a cognitive level, a lot of what the book says, but it's mostly forgotten by the next day. I do however truly understand some things such as "the more we empathise with the other party, the safer we feel."

Sometimes I'm scared of my dark side. Have you met somebody that makes your blood run cold, and you just want to leave, but, you find it difficult to move because your legs feel like cement? I've found myself on both ends of that. At my worst, people say I give off an icy sensation. It's usually counterproductive, so I've worked against it. I must admit it's easier with my short height.

 

No. I'm not a "good" person to many people. I guarantee if you ask anyone in this town they'll say I'm "bad" because I care about myself more than others. Because I refuse to abide by the rules humanity has made for everyone to follow.

 

I'm definitely not, but at the same it all depends on what you mean by 'good'. What one may qualify as 'good' may not be for you or me.