Agnostic.com

31 8

What defines a good person to you?

I say, "to you" because I believe that while our society likes to paint the picture that we are all on the same page as to what makes someone good or bad, it may actually be entirely subjective. We have our own individual morals and values and those are what we ultimately use to determine a person's goodness/badness on a case by case basis. I believe it to be a grey-area, gradient type scale. So to you, what makes a good person? Is it their words, their actions, or a combination of both? And if it is a combination, does that then mean that someone isn't as good of a person if they do not practice both?

  • 1 vote
  • 42 votes
  • 58 votes
TingleMuffin 4 Mar 24
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

31 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

0

A person who does a good dead and then talks badly or complains about it is not a good person.

So by your rubric: If a person jumps onto the recessed train track of on oncoming train to save the life of a person who has fallen onto the tracks and while trying to escape before they are both hit by the train, winds up loosing his shoe and complaining about no longer having a shoe, this person is "not a good person." I disagree.

@NoMagicCookie so if you're going to take it to an excessive extreme just to start a fight let's take it further.

A person jumps into the tracks to save a person. They both live but he lost his show. Now he demands the person whose life was saved pay for shoe, as well as complains the entire time that if he hadn't saved the other, he'd still have a shoe. The shoeless man complains every chance he gets, guiltily the other for years.

Is he really a good person?

@NoMagicCookie because you see, what I was going for was someone who does good actions but verbally abuses or complains constantly about how much they sacrifice to do those good deeds as a way of showing just how grateful someone else should be, is pretty much an asshole.

But you wanted to take what I said and make it out automatically to be a completely different meaning.

Hm wonder what that makes you.

@LadyAlyxandrea In what way does my example not completely fall within the requirements of your assertion? Also, in your rebuttal, you include the person who saved the life of another demanding payment for the shoe. I did not include that because this is not a requirement of your statement. You have just changed shifted the goal post (not a honourable position) as your example does not dictate the person demand reimbursement only "talks bad".

@LadyAlyxandrea I can't envision a scenario where your original statement makes sense. Perhaps you can offer a scenario that justifies your assertion. In my earlier example, if the person who saved another from death complains about having to save the other person (the shoe incident not necessary) by your standard, would be a bad person.

@NoMagicCookie I'm done here.

0

Now here's one that will really mess with your noggin: are mercy killings moral or immoral?

Depends entirely upon how you define "mercy killings" and "moral".

@NoMagicCookie that was exactly the point of my comment.

2

Everyone knows right from wrong. How good or bad a person is is how often they base their decisions on that knowledge. Talk is cheap. Facebook has created an entire alternate reality based on this. Everyone there is a motivational political expert. In real life it's your actions that define you.

But does everyone really know right from wrong? That's part of what I was questioning here. There are guidelines set by our society and yes, a lot of people do agree on some which is why they are the standard in the first place. However, I think things can get muddy quickly depending on how someone was raised and even their mental health. For a common example that our society is split on, some people were raised to see an abortion as murder, and other's don't see it a such and believe the livelihood of the mother comes before the unborn fetus. And taking it outside the window of society, murder: its a fact of life in the animal world and are humans not animals? Our society puts us above all other walks of life based on what we've accomplished and what we think we know about consciousness, but is murder really wrong from a biological standpoint?

7

If you say you're a kind person and a very generous being, then you have to prove it through actions.

3

Just think about it. No, it isn't always easy, but that doesn't mean there are no right answers. Seek to create a greater state of well-being on the whole in every action; that will get you pretty far in my book.

0

Pity you can't vote for all 3 choices......

0

Words don't mean much of anything. What you do defines who you are.

4

Words and actions impress me.

3

Sometimes words are actions - "you'll be ok, and I'm here for you" can be worth as much or even more than doing something physical. So, I voted "Combination Of Words And Actions".

Jnei Level 8 Mar 24, 2018
1

Honesty kindness fairness

3

Empathy, thoughtfulness, and integrity (honesty plus trustworthiness).

0

Either would require me to judge, which I try to avoid.

0

It actually is subjective and each person has their own idea of morality. Even in the same house the individual morality does differ. As for the question "Does that mean that someone isn't as good of a person if they do not practice both?" Yes that does mean that. Let me give you an example. Let's say that Joe is a great man, he helps with the homeless, he feeds the hungery, he adopts families at Christmas, ect. On top of all that he has never even thought of hitting his children or wife. However he constantly degrades them. Telling them they are evil and will never be anything but a criminal. Telling his wife that she is a slob and a slut. that she is only good for sex and barley even that. In this case just because his actions are good his words hurt. thus he is less of a good person.

Ldox Level 4 Mar 24, 2018
4

Some words but mostly actions and reactions. Temper is not good. Kindness and helpfulness is.

4

Honesty and compassion.

Deb57 Level 8 Mar 24, 2018
2

I am drawn to people who are kindly with inner integrity.

0

Being a good person has nothing to do with religion as the world is full of Sunday Christians.Where a good person is always Christian like in that they are genuine loyal caring compassionate generous a good listener and wishes other people to be like themselves with the aforementioned characteristics.

0

I have always been foolish enough to be a good & honest person! Clergy will tell you God is a mystery, yet every knows what good is! No matter what a persons views are good is always good!

0

It's like porn. Hard to define, but you know it when you see it.

1

From being the Navy I had the pleasure of meeting all kinds of different people. Some of them just happen to be recovering gang members. I have seen the good side of these guys even though they have notoriously, have a deviant side. The ones I have gotten to know in the setting we found our selves in and the honorable thing that I have witnessed them do. All I can say is never judge a book by the cover.

0

It depends on what the words and actions are. But if you’re the only one to do what you think is right and you don’t share it with anyone or try too encourage others to do the same, there’s little point in doing it.

2

Goodness comes from giving of one's self, be it time, money, labor or love.

0

Talks cheap

1

Demonstration of a conscience followed by deliberate considerate decisions.

2

A good person is one who treats all others with full dignity and prespect, who is positve and truthful, and who is not self-serving and egocentric.

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:42705
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.