I think defining “good person” is very hard, and that it’s very hard to prevent people from gaming this metric, and very hard to judge people correctly (imagine a group of 4th graders trying to judge which one of their teachers is more intelligent, for instance. My point is that judging something which is above yourself is difficult as you judge relatively to your own standards which aren’t as universal as you assume)
For now, what society considers a “good person” is mostly somebody who they have no dirt on, which ends up being somebody who is harmless and uninteresting. Because we focus on avoiding negatives rather than on cultivating positives, most people who try really hard to become “good people” just become pathetic instead (for instance the Nice Guy stereotype). I’m reminded of the quote “If a tree is to grow into heaven, it’s roots must grow into hell”, and I think that’s a less naive take on goodness in man than what society is currently promoting
I think defining “good person” is very hard, and that it’s very hard to prevent people from gaming this metric, and very hard to judge people correctly (imagine a group of 4th graders trying to judge which one of their teachers is more intelligent, for instance. My point is that judging something which is above yourself is difficult as you judge relatively to your own standards which aren’t as universal as you assume)
For now, what society considers a “good person” is mostly somebody who they have no dirt on, which ends up being somebody who is harmless and uninteresting. Because we focus on avoiding negatives rather than on cultivating positives, most people who try really hard to become “good people” just become pathetic instead (for instance the Nice Guy stereotype).
I’m reminded of the quote “If a tree is to grow into heaven, it’s roots must grow into hell”, and I think that’s a less naive take on goodness in man than what society is currently promoting