People are good

March 23, 2010 | 6 comments

I often marvel at how good people are when I travel and have occasion to do a lot of people watching. Not that I sit around and watch others, but venturing through countless airports, waiting in many different types of lines, sitting on planes and driving through busy cities, thousands of people cross my path.  And most of them are really nice individuals!

From a waiting area in an airport, I can see the new young dad with toddlers in tow doing his best to keep little hands out of trouble, and expressing all kinds of tenderness, love and care that he probably would never admit to on a football field. I can watch the late traveler rushing to his next plane cut in front of a pedestrian and run his roller suitcase over the other guy’s toe, but no complaint is voiced. I can be standing in a long line at security, and a late-comer rushes up about to miss his plane, and people will let him cut in front without protest or comment. I can see people strolling through the terminals with a look of contentment on their face, thinking happily about something pleasant in their life. I can see huge amounts of patience and understanding expressed when planes are late or cancelled. I can find good qualities all over the place when I look for them. They are abundant and gratifying to witness. They are evidence of mankind’s innate goodness shining through.

These expressed graces are not noisy. They don’t stand up and say “Look at me!” They are humble happenings, quietly done, barely noticeable if you aren’t paying attention or the immediate recipient of their goodwill. And this is the irony. Complaining attitudes often do get all the attention. They are loud, noisy, contentious, unpleasant to be around, and so authorities work to quiet the trouble down and end the dispute. Because of the intensity of discord, it can get to feel like everyone is that way.

The preponderance of negative views of humanity in the media doesn’t help. It skews the public perception of one’s neighbor in general. When you hear day after day about in-fighting and bitter partisanship in Washington D.C., endless reports of murders, robberies, and crime, and the employee at work that makes office life difficult for everyone else, these impressions occupy a preponderance of attention in thought and cast an impression that the world is filled with people who are hard to get along with. But it’s not true. People in general, are basically very good to the core of their being. And everyone has good qualities in them.

People care. They want to aid others in need. They will stop what they’re doing and volunteer help in times of difficulty. They do act unselfishly. They smile. They extend a helping hand. They engage in acts of kindness. They give others the benefit of the doubt. They laugh when they might complain. They are patient and will keep to themselves when a complainer might outburst a protest. People generally understand what is required for society to function as a harmonious unit. That’s why thousands can drive home in rush hour traffic and make it home intact. That’s why hundreds can jam sidewalks walking to and fro with little incident.

There are certainly exceptions in our communities and in the world, and some observers believe civility is on the decline, but the more I learn how good God created each of us, the easier it is to see that goodness in others. It’s evident all around when one looks.

Maybe we all need to look more…

Have you been looking recently? Is it easy for you to see goodness in others?

6 thoughts on “People are good”

  1. Thanks, Evan. The reports have been pretty negative lately. You’re right though, when one slows down one sees more clearly.

  2. Hi Evan, how nice to align with your words! I’ve been really opening mine eyes and thought to see more of the good around us and in the whole world. It is nice the share the same vision…thanks

  3. This is so true how kind people really are. My husband and I are starting up a business and we are going out meeting potential clients. Neither one of us are salesmen, so when we first started going out, we were a bit uncomfortable walking into these cold calls. But after meeting so many sincerely sweet individuals who seem to be truly interested in our success, we have come to like this aspect of starting out our business. Many of them feel very free to tell you about their business experience, mistakes they may have made, and their deep concerns for their own business during these troubling times. We feel we have our own cheering section in these people, and of course, we are cheering them on, as well. We have even been able to bring them business for services we need to get going! I can say in all honesty, we are making some great friends.

  4. Thanks, Evan. You are so right. I used to work for a police dept in a college town. Every weekend we dealt with the out of control students who had too much to drink. It would have been easy to think all students were immature and irresponsible, but at the same time I was attending classes and saw that 99% were hard working, good thinking, responsible adults. The 1% who seemed to cause trouble just got all the press. It was a lesson that has translated to all aspects of my thinking!

Leave a Reply to Anonymous Cancel reply

Keep the conversation going! Your email address will not be published.

*