Be
a Good Person
“Being a
good person means more than just doing things for others. You have to
accept and love yourself before you can put positive energy into the
universe...it's more complicated than just being kind.”
(Wiki-How
to do anything website)
Here in Alabama there's a
hotly contested political campaign for the U.S. Senate. We're being
subjected to endless TV ads, and in almost every one of them the
candidate is described as “a good person.” I wondered whether
that was code for something, since most politicians have at least
some degree of “badness” to them, as do we all. What exactly is
meant by “He's a good person.” In Alabama, it often means that
the candidate describes him/herself as a “born-again Christian,”
which apparently instantly dumps them into the “good person”
category. Being a skeptic, I'm not buying it. I've known a lot of
“born-again” folks in my life, and I promise you, not all of them
could be described as “good.”
Still, I am curious as
to what we mean when we say someone is good. So, of course, I googled
it! Here's the rundown of how you, too, can become a good person: 1.
Determine what being good means to you personally. One thing to look
at here is motivation—why are you trying to be so good? Is it to
impress others; is it to manipulate opinions about you; does it come
from an honest place? 2. Choose a role model for goodness. Why do you
look up to them? What qualities do they possess that you'd like to
emulate? When confronted with an ethical dilemma, ask yourself what
your role model would do. 3. Stop comparing yourself to others. You
have certain strengths and weaknesses, just as other people do. Your
attributes may be different from everyone else, but they are
nonetheless strengths. Capitalize on those.
In my world view, being
“good” is only half the picture, and a confusing half at that.
To me, being good means knowing yourself very well; understanding
your true motives, and being fully aware of your strong-suits and
your foibles. It is knowing when to speak and when to keep your mouth
shut. I confess that I'm not even half-way there. President Obama
once opined, as individuals we cannot change the world, but that is
not sufficient reason to stop trying. We must do what we can, and we
must do it with a pure heart—not for the purpose of
self-aggrandizement, or to manipulate the way other people see us—but
simply to take responsibility for making the small difference we can
make. Sometimes that means being kind, and sweet, and generous, and
sometimes it means raising all kinds of hell over injustice and
inequality. Being a “born-again Christian” does not make you good
any more than being a Hindu or a Muslim. What's in your heart
determines whether you add positive energy to the universe, or not.
Are you a good person?
In the Spirit,
Jane
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