Comedy is going to take a back seat today. It is time for a serious post. Over the course of a couple of years, I have seen numerous articles that contain a list of qualities that "true" men or women should possess.
Here is a recent article that I have read on the subject. While these articles are quite entertaining, they never talk about anything
real (albeit, that isn't the purpose of the article). I'd like to take a moment here and write a list of things that a "good" person does. "Good" is a relative term and this post is merely
my opinion on what I define as "good". However, I suppose one could ask the question, "is there such a thing as universal 'good'?" We can reserve that conversation for another time. Without further ado, here is the list of things that I think a good person does:
1) Be kind to everyone.
This is a big one. There have been countless situations that I have been in where kindness helped diffuse any existing tension. Also, you get what you give right? Regardless of who the person is, ALWAYS be kind to them. Kindness is disarming and will allow the other person to lower their guard. Now you can have a genuine conversation with the person and make a real connection. After all, this real human connection, isn't that what we all live for? A life void of real connections is not a life worth living. If the other person is being rude to you, kill them with your kindness. If they continue to be rude, just walk away because life is too short to deal with these people.
2) Respect everyone.
Most people will give you the same level of respect that you give to them. That statement makes it seem like respecting everyone is somewhat of a self-preservation tactic so that you won't have others attacking you. I suppose this is true. While I tend to respect everyone by default, people say respect is something you earn and is not a given right. I agree that respect is something that you earn, but only when it has been lost. Of course, losing respect can be done in innumerable ways (cheating on a significant other, betraying people that are close to you, listening to the band Creed (really?? Creed???), etc. Understanding how your actions affect others is a great way to live life and by doing so, you are inherently respecting others.
3) Never judge someone based on a first impression or their outward behavior.
Honestly, you never know what the other person has been through, or what they have had to endure in their lives. By passing quick judgement on people you are dismissing all previous events and actions that have molded this person into who they are. A lot of people put up facades just to maintain a public image; a facade that hides how they truly feel and want to act, but can't due to certain circumstances. Just like how you wouldn't want people passing judgement on you, please don't pass judgement on others.
This concludes my list. I think that if people do these three things, they will create a better environment for themselves and others and harmonious living can come from it. I also realize that we are all human and we have a tendency to do the polar opposite of the items on the list. I am certainly guilty of it. However, every day I still try and live my life according to the items on the list. Just take things one day at a time.
I know that I don't write posts very often, but I will make a more concerted effort to do so.
