Where have all the good people gone?
Nowhere.
You may not see them, and you may not hear from them, but just know that they’re working. I still believe in good people, I am one and I know plenty of them. But, if your idea of people is based solely on what is filtered to you through the news, papers, and social media, it’s understandable that you might begin to develop the attitude that most people are ‘bad’. Which, what is a bad person? A bad person = a good person who chooses to do ‘bad’ things.
Did you know that there are people who don’t participate in social media, who don’t post any of the good work they do and who have never and will never be on the news or in a magazine or newspaper? Some people don’t want or seek attention and others wouldn’t mind it, especially to support a cause. But by now we’ve all learned that drama, bad news and bad people sell more than good news and good people.
Fear is more profitable than hope.
For every real and manufactured dramatic celebrity event you hear about, there are 10 people quietly living their lives and making positive change in the world.
There are people who care for others, people who get paid to solve problems and cure diseases, and who venture into areas others won’t in an effort to spread love, peace, and hope or to build schools, wells, and provide medicines. There are also people who do all of the above listed, for absolutely free. People whose passion is helping and whose lives are in service of others. I believe in volunteers, people who donate their time and/or money, good samaritans, and random acts of kindness because every hour of every day they are being performed.
In 2012 I wrote a blog post with this same title, Good People and the very next day the mass shooting at the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado occurred, which resulted in 12 deaths and 70 injured people. I was tempted to take the post down, but then I thought, wouldn’t that add to the message or solidify the misconception that most people are bad? I still feel the same way 4 years later…
In spite of and despite terrible acts, good people are everywhere.
The good people are you and me. The people who are fundamentally good and who choose to do good deeds instead of hurtful, mean, spiteful, and evil acts. We are the good people, the people who help our friends and strangers, who donate our time and money, who encourage and inspire others, and who, daily make the decision to raise our personal standards, work hard, and confirm that the good people haven’t gone anywhere. Here we are, positively impacting the world and all who inhabit it.