Are you a good person?

[Suttonpubcrawl]

I thought this would be an interesting thread to see what people think about themselves.

I can't be bothered to write a post to start it with though, so I've decided to start it like a Wilbur thread.

Maybe that makes me a bad person. Oh well.

Are you a good or a bad person?

[Beck]

Neither, I'm a great person.*

*I'm not really

[Neville Chamberlain]

I am a good person.

I wish ill upon nobody except Bono.

However, I do have a slightly selfish streak which, coupled with a degree of self-consciousness I've never quite shaken off since my childhood, can lead me to do selfish things and then not apologise afterwards for fear of looking daft. However, I am very good at apologising when push comes to shove.

Actually, I'm a complete shit.

[ccab]

"There's nothing good or bad but thinking made it so" - & as I never think about myself (because of my absolute selflessness & magnanimity) I couldn't really say.

I suppose I'm probably a badass mutha.

[Neil]

I'm proud of the fact that I'm not a certain type of person.  I'm pleased that I don't feel the need to follow the crowd and be in a gang to feel better about myself.  I'm pleased that I like to be inclusive and get people involved with things and use their skills when my own are lacking, rather than being a sneaky exclusive little turd.  I'm pleased that I have the balls to be honest, and that I'm not two-faced and a back-stabber.  So yes, I think I'm a good person, albeit one who's found the internet to be massively disappointing.

[Al Tha Funkee Homosapien]

You do know about the porn and free music, yeah?

[SetToStun]

I'm afraid that, having been massively sinned against in the past, I've deteriorated into a bit of a cunt overall. I try to be nice to my mates and any strangers I meet, but it seems I fail quite often. Not by design, I hasten to add, just by lazy ineptness. So, there you have it: SetToStun: a cunt.

[Neville Chamberlain]

I'm pleased that I have the balls to be honest, and that I'm not two-faced and a back-stabber.

Good for you, Neil. Possibly two of the least appealing characteristics anyone could posses, and I've had to deal with a couple of them over the past years.  I'm glad I don't have any inclination towards that sort of thing (but I do like a bit of harmless gossip from time to time...)

[hoverdonkey]

How many bad things can a good person do before he actually becomes bad?

[Peking O]

About seven.

[hoverdonkey]

Haha, I knew that would be the number. The seven sins I suppose.

[danielsan]

My girlfriend would tell you I'm the nicest bloke in the world, whereas most other people would say I'm a right cunt. Depends what sort of mood I'm in I suppose!

[The Duck Man]

Yeah, but she's the one shagging you, so that's all that matters.

All my family's friends say I'm very polite, so I must be good.

[danielsan]

Yeah, but she's the one shagging you, so that's all that matters.

Yeah, but she's also a shit judge of character!!

[the midnight watch baboon]

I am better than Jim.

[Eight Taiwanese Teenagers]

I'm not a horrible turd, but I often avoid doing things that would make other people happy because they would make me slightly unhappy.

[MissInformed]

When I am good I am very very good, but when I am bad, I am ... better!

[rudi]

"His name is Robbie (ooh oooh), Robbie de Niro (aah aaah)..."

[Janek's Little Black Box]

I think alot of people confuse being a good citizen with being a good person. Whilst the former is clearly defined by hard work, fair play, honesty, adherence to the law, appropriate delegation of skills/tasks to appropriate people etc... I've never heard a satisfactory description of what a 'good person' is. I'm not sure it even makes any sense given that goodness is surely impossible without the presence of a society to decide its criteria.

Also what about the gap between motivation and action? I do many helpful things for many people but only because I want to feel better myself. I have consciously manipulated my own deeply selfish nature to be of benefit to other people - if goodness is how closely someone adheres to principles put in place in order to protect the interests of society - is the goodness of my behaviour cancelled out by the selfishness of my motivation? I don't feel like a good person, but am I one?

[Melody Lee]

I'm told that I'm a nice person; polite, unselfish, reliable and all of that business.

But I think there's a fine line between me being nice/good for those reasons and being someone who just puts up with shit they really don't have to.

I'm someone who sticks to a certain moral point of view quite strictly. I'd maintain that to cause pain or heartache to another person or to do something that would risk it is truly awful.
There's always a temptation to do something for my own sake, or even someone elses*.
I could justify a selfish act by dismissing sacrifices as weaknesses, but morality is a lot more than simple guilt, to me. I generally don't feel that guilty.
It's hard to be distinct, but there's definately a difference between feeling obliged to be a certain way and deciding to be a certain way based on your adult experiences and opinions. You could say morality is tailored to your guilt reflexes but I'd say you can break away from all of that fairly easily.

I'm waffling on now, but I do consider myself a decent person. I've been in positions where I've been tested well and truly, and have stuck to my guns. What pride there is in that is a sense that I'd want the best for anyone I had anything to do with. Even people I barely know.

I have a lot of faults, but I'd never knowingly have somebody feel as though they were worthless, hated or unwelcome.

* If somebody proves themselves to be quite seriously careless and cruel I slowly but surely move away from them. Even if there's attraction. I could never trust them to be decent (that bit's specifically about relationship stuff, but it makes up a lot of it, to be honest).

-

[Little Hoover]

at the end of day right i am what i am i say what i think, im just me and if that offends people they can fuck off.

But seriously I think I'm a generally a nice person that's conscious of other people around me. and like Neil, I'm glad I'm not the sort of person that feels the need to follow the crowd, and I'm glad I'm not arrogant, although at the same time this can lead me to be a bit too dismissive of my own abilities, although I think I'm gradually working towards a healthy balance.

[phes]

This is an interesting thread and it's a question that I ask myself regularly. One thing that has been troubling me recently is that I have become much more sympathetic and understanding torward people that done something 'bad' that I  also have done. Am I sympathetic and understanding or is this just a form of denial. Am I deliberately forging a bond with people that I maybe see as inadequate in a similar way, so as to avoid the risk of trying to live up to 'good' ideals, or am I just wiser and less judgemental?

bah

[Lady Beaner]

... and like Neil, I'm glad I'm not the sort of person that feels the need to follow the crowd....

I find this interesting. Are you saying that you are not influenced by the people or (for want of a better word) trends around you? I am not nit-picking, honest. In fact I would be pretty impressed if anyone could say that they are oblivious to what other people think and live life in exactly the way in which they want to.  I would love to think that I could do that one day, but for me I will still be influenced this way.

(Sorry if any of that was that was incoherant in any way. Had a bit of wine. Trying to wash it away with lashings of Ribena.)

[Small Man Big Horse]

I'm a good person nowadays, I know it sounds almost arrogant to make such a statement, but only because in the past I could be a bit of a cunt. I loved my friends, and always tried to do the right thing, but sometimes I'd just get too drunk and say what I really felt about something rather than keeping quiet about it.

Then a couple of years ago I had a huge breakdown (a mix of "Jesus I've fucked up my life / a delightful existential crisis), and when so few people were around to help me get through it, I realised how I'd acted had affected people. Now I go out of my way to do other things for people, partially because I know it's the right thing to do, and because I get a buzz out of seeing people happy, but also because I think it's all we have - ie we live in a godless pointless existance, and the only way to live is to make it better for other people. Mock all you like, but my life has improved so much since I've changed, as it were. I really do feel like a different person too, and it's sometimes hard to recognise how I used to be.

Then again, I'm still on a fuck load of medication, so maybe it's just cause of that!

Edit:

Neil Wrote:

I'm proud of the fact that I'm not a certain type of person. I'm pleased that I don't feel the need to follow the crowd and be in a gang to feel better about myself.

I think that's one of the best things about turning 30, I used to know certain people who were like that, but nowadays all of the friends I have are just comfortable being themselves, and there's none of that following the gang nonsense going on anymore, thank god!*

Edit again: Well, not God, obviously, but you know what I mean.

[NoSleep]

... and like Neil, I'm glad I'm not the sort of person that feels the need to follow the crowd....

I find this interesting. Are you saying that you are not influenced by the people or (for want of a better word) trends around you? I am not nit-picking, honest. In fact I would be pretty impressed if anyone could say that they are oblivious to what other people think and live life in exactly the way in which they want to.  I would love to think that I could do that one day, but for me I will still be influenced this way.

(Sorry if any of that was that was incoherant in any way. Had a bit of wine. Trying to wash it away with lashings of Ribena.)

I think we are all naturally influenced by those around us. But to have the self-awareness to notice this and question whether this is the right way to make a judgement can lead to you thinking something out for yourself.

[Banana Woofwoof]

I think I'm a good person.  A crazy person, yes, but I don't go out to hurt anyone and I'm generally Nice.

[Jemble Fred]

I'm the nicest, loveliest, friendliest person in the world â€" everyone else is a cunt and can fuck off and die.

See what I did there? Yes. You did.

[Little Hoover]

... and like Neil, I'm glad I'm not the sort of person that feels the need to follow the crowd....

I find this interesting. Are you saying that you are not influenced by the people or (for want of a better word) trends around you? I am not nit-picking, honest. In fact I would be pretty impressed if anyone could say that they are oblivious to what other people think and live life in exactly the way in which they want to.  I would love to think that I could do that one day, but for me I will still be influenced this way.

(Sorry if any of that was that was incoherant in any way. Had a bit of wine. Trying to wash it away with lashings of Ribena.)

I think we are all naturally influenced by those around us. But to have the self-awareness to notice this and question whether this is the right way to make a judgement can lead to you thinking something out for yourself.

Yes exactly.

[extradave]

I remember making a conscious decision in my early life that I would be nice to people, and to be fair I think the motive was such that if I stuck to this principle then people would be nice to me.

It generally works and if people refuse to be nice to me, they can fuck off.

So I am as unselfish as I can possibly be, but maybe driven by selfish motives.

And also I suppose if everyone is nice to each other then generally speaking society will be better.

[ziggy starbucks]

I'm a nice person, as long as you disregard the 2 murders