What does it mean to be a good person?
Do you think there is a universal definition of a good person? Let us look across cultures, religions, and philosophies. Do you also find the answers are just as strikingly similar as I do?
The irony I personally find is that the world can agree on the traits that make up a good person, yet still argue about God and wage holy wars. Then pollute the environment for profits. Let me ask you. Does a good person leave mother Earth a toxic place? Does a good person watch evil and do nothing?
Can you see every tradition describes a good person as honest, even when it costs them? Yes, it’s an amazing coincidence. Don’t you think? Every culture describes a good person as someone who seeks justice, even against their own interest. That’s the stuff heros are made out of.
They are humble enough to show mercy and strong enough to answer wrongdoing with kindness. They do their duties and own their mistakes, and they treat others the way they would want to be treated. I treat others as they treat me. Maybe I’m not a good person? Shoot at me, I shoot back. I expect the same from others.
Confucius, Aristotle, the Gospels, the Quran, the Buddha, and the Ubuntu saying “I am because we are” each say it in their own words, yet the person they describe is recognizably the same. Confusing! Who decides who I am? Me?
Anyways, Goodness isn’t one grand act. It’s the habit of choosing these qualities and keeping our honor clean every day. It’s not so easy is it? Being good people and caring for Mother Earth.
Who are you going to call? Oceanic Plastic Trash Busters.
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