Being a "good person"

Is it not hubris of man to make such a statement “you are bad!”? Who has the moral , ethical or General authority to make such a bold appraisal? It’s one of many quirks I find of our species. I don’t think anybody truly has the authority say “you are good or bad” unless they have honestly reviewed their own behavior but even at that we aren’t very good at critically assessing ourselves. I feel if people learned to objectively regulate and review their own behavior they would be less quick at condemning others for their perceived “sins”. Alas, self regulation and personal responsibility are not very popular human traits, it’s self gratifying to point at somebody else’s flaws to prop ourselves up.

We are monkeys , who wear clothes and think an awful lot about ourselves. Is there anything in the universe more self absorbed then humans? We have the capacity to achieve so many wonderful things and yet we waste our potential on instant gratification, pointing out other people’s defects and chasing shallow interests. Shouldn’t that be considered “a bad Person”? Wasting our most valuable resource , time , on the most mind numbingly wasteful pastimes.

When you think about it rationally we live on a planet. Not a country or a continent we live on One planet. We are all made from the same primordial ooze. Xenophobia, racism, borders, languages, sexism, unapologetic greed are all needless barriers to good. Why are they even a thing in the modern world? They are nurtured and allowed to thrive in what is generally becoming a more disengaged species. We have never been so connected yet disconnected. We can communicate with people on the other side of the world. More people have access to more information and education and yet primal instincts are allowed to flourish with apathy perhaps filling in a void left from the decline in religion. Religion is/was certainly not without its flaws, but it had a fundamentally good message with good intentions, it was man who corrupted it like man corrupts everything and then proceeds to blame somebody or something else for the misdeeds.

I find it difficult to not consider our species a self destructive blight on the earth. If Philanthropic Aliens were watching from Afar, they would be flabbergasted as we inevitably destroy ourselves along with many other victims that suffer the misfortune of having to share the earth. Would they think we as a species are collectively a "good person" ?

What is interesting is that I usually put this viewpoint down to my depression or low moods and I think a society that enjoys judging everybody else would support this line of thinking. How I am feeling is the problem, there is no truth to my sentiments!. But I’m in a really good place right now , very positive about my future and reading a sort of introduction to philosophy book. My views could be dismissed as “you are just feeling low and projecing that on the world” but I don’t believe this is correct. I’m sort of becoming ok with who I am and what I think. I am loving philosophy if I am exploring it correctly.

There are so many things that I have a passion to discuss but quite frankly I don’t believe most people have the objectivity or emotional balance to discuss these things without reverting to ingrained prejudice or reverting to quite toxic modern methods of discussion (attack the speaker , less emphasis on engaging them on the content or context of the contents of what they are saying).

I’m becoming ok with not connecting with the majority on topics which I feel is making me a “more good person”. I am getting less angry at people who I used to brand “stupid or ignorant”. I, like them, are neither right or wrong, I just interpret things differently but I am open to change my view if a more logical explanation is expressed. I am reflecting on this new found insight and regulating to make sure that ego and arrogance does not replace my anger.

Fathom wrote: »

Is being "good" a variable? If so, does it vary day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, year-to-year for a lifetime?

I think this is the case. A person is neither good nor bad at any given time, is it not by their actions that we, as a society, brand a person "good" or "bad". Its not actually the person that is necessarily bad, but their action. I think this is important, to distinguish a persons compounded actions from the person them-self. This doesn't address the general issue that good and bad are subjectively bias opinions for most people that can be regulated by emotions which are unreliable benchmarks.

Here is an interesting question. Imagine a person is "good" before they are 30 but something happens later on in their lives that causes them to do "bad things". If, for example, they get Alzheimer's at a later age and revert back to their "pre-30 self" is it right to judge them on actions they did after this age? Are they not technically "reborn" and thus technically not responsible for whatever they did in their later self?

I can see the broader issue of "well do people doing drugs or drinking too much who cause damage while intoxicated automatically get a pass"? But one thing that differentiates the two is that nobody chooses to get Alzheimers, its a disease that resets or destroys your memory for life. Drinking too much or taking drugs that lead to "bad acts" are a personal decision. I mean this purely in the context of this example.