Do you believe....
- Thread starter Debi
- Start date
I think We all have a decision to make to do good or evil. And a lot of our actions are influenced by what’s around us, which happens to be a lot of evil these days.
We have the power to DO good and evil. I don’t think we can BE good or evil.
Seahunter
AKA "Roy"
It might just be my current mood, but I honestly don't know anymore. Of course we want to think people are inherently good, but I just don't think they are any longer.
People are way too self-absorbed. Everyone thinks the world revolves around them, and a lot of people think they are so special that they either are, or should be, someone famous. Honesty and integrity are things of the past. It seems no matter what I see, read, or hear, people are choosing to do what benefits them the most rather than what is the right thing to do. Someone finds a wallet today, the chances are a lot less than 25 years ago that someone is going to try to get it back to the rightful owner. Someone is trying to park their car and accidentally hits another one. Same thing, I'd say the majority of people now days would just ignore it and leave or continue parking anyway without leaving a note. I just don't believe most people are good anymore based on honesty, morals and values, etc. Do they do the right thing in a given situation? Only if it benefits them in some way. To me, being inherently good means doing the right thing even if no one is around to know you did it. I think being inherently good means not being so selfish and self-centered, and doing things for others or things that might not be convenient or self-serving, but are the right thing to do. I can't tell you how many wallets, checkbooks and phones I have returned to people who have lost them. I still try to change a tire if I see someone stranded on the road that looks helpless. If I get under-charged at the store, I still tell the clerk so I don't steal from the store. There are lots of ways to do what is good, I just don't see the average person being good anymore. Whether it's laziness, lack of concern, or whatever, I see too many people who are too busy looking out for number one to do what's good or right anymore.
People are way too self-absorbed. Everyone thinks the world revolves around them, and a lot of people think they are so special that they either are, or should be, someone famous. Honesty and integrity are things of the past. It seems no matter what I see, read, or hear, people are choosing to do what benefits them the most rather than what is the right thing to do. Someone finds a wallet today, the chances are a lot less than 25 years ago that someone is going to try to get it back to the rightful owner. Someone is trying to park their car and accidentally hits another one. Same thing, I'd say the majority of people now days would just ignore it and leave or continue parking anyway without leaving a note. I just don't believe most people are good anymore based on honesty, morals and values, etc. Do they do the right thing in a given situation? Only if it benefits them in some way. To me, being inherently good means doing the right thing even if no one is around to know you did it. I think being inherently good means not being so selfish and self-centered, and doing things for others or things that might not be convenient or self-serving, but are the right thing to do. I can't tell you how many wallets, checkbooks and phones I have returned to people who have lost them. I still try to change a tire if I see someone stranded on the road that looks helpless. If I get under-charged at the store, I still tell the clerk so I don't steal from the store. There are lots of ways to do what is good, I just don't see the average person being good anymore. Whether it's laziness, lack of concern, or whatever, I see too many people who are too busy looking out for number one to do what's good or right anymore.
n0. I have often thought I am ashamed to be human. I found my true self in the woods where I stayed for a long time with almost no contact with the outside world and no money.. sort of a rehab situation. I thought about the past for a long time and realized how phony or fake life really is living day to day. I get reminded of that at times like on the rare occasion I wake early before the city does. the quiet, in the small patch of trees you can hear the woodpecker. He is always there i suppose but the city drowns him out. My friend mac makes digital music and I discovered he can tell you almost that same story without words. I guess he is one of those special people that are rare but he doesn't think of fame or anything he believes everyone is like him but he is wrong. People "inherently" don't care enough to know who they even are, let alone peace of mind.
I think most people are capable of anything under the right circumstances. However I dont believe we can make a blanket statement on all of humanity. I think it is as different as the individual. I think each soul has a certain bend either toward good or selfishness. Being that there are more souls alive today than at any other time in our known history it’s no wonder we see the glass half empty. We can expierence a day full of blessings but the one bad thing that happens we will remember and think about. I think the bad deeds are what we reflect on and that colors our perception of humanity. That being said I am a positive person and choose to see the glass half full 
Vibe-Feeler
Truth Seeker
I would say it's partly due to one's surroundings during childhood, but in adulthood I would boil it down to choice and will power. But then again I noticed a lot of people turn out rotten as a result of not getting a hiding when they were kids. They get left to do literally whatever they want and grow up thinking there are absolutely no consequences for their actions and ultimately tend to do a lot more bad things than good things.