Much
has been lost in our modern world. Our societies have exploded with
wanton complexity, cloaking our actions in a veil of confusion. As we
stumble about, it is important that we reoriented ourselves back to a
saner version of morality. Without this, we so easily lose sight of what
is truly important in our brief but tumultuous existence.
It’s
hard to say what makes a person ‘good’. There are still many good
people out there, and they cover a broad spectrum of attitudes and
behaviors. Bad however isn’t too hard to define. Pretty much every bad
person that ever lived, lived a life of self-obsession. They are, it
always seems, the center of their own universe. They come in all shapes
and sizes, but their selfishness, self-absorption and self-centeredness
lump them together into a rather obvious pile.
Bad
people are bad because they mostly choose themselves over others. That
choice, although rooted in our instinct for self preservation, pits
their actions against their presence in our societies. From selfishness
comes a stunning variety of heartless, mean and often brutal acts.
Actions that we fully understand are bad, even when we aren’t entirely
clear on the underlying motives.
Bad
people do the best for themselves, regardless of the consequences and
they feel entitled to do these things because everything revolves around
them.
Now
it’s not that one can never ‘act in their own best interests’. Life
doesn’t always allow us to be selfless, but rather it’s the degree in
which one does this that matters. Sometimes you have to put yourself
first, but not always and not without appreciating the consequences.
We’re intelligent beings, so we can understand our impact on the world
around us. If we choose to.
People
don’t have to be bad, often they are because it’s just the easiest
thing for them to do. Unfortunately we celebrate and often reward this
type of selfishness, but regardless that doesn’t justify the behavior of
these people. Nor does it provide an excuse for the rest of us to
mirror their bad choices. Fundamentally, most people want to be good
people so we should just give into our nature and try to raise ourselves
out of the muck whenever possible. A good deed a day is a great start.
