Help me out with your opinions

[gobroncos313]

Hey folks, I need some help. I have written two plays and am currently working on the script for my third. I would like to get some feedback from folks on a few things just to get and idea as to what people might say about certain things. I would appreciate all the help you could give me.

What I'll do is ask a question right here and then you answer it and I'll make some responses to your answers and anyone can feel free to fire back at the responses.

Lets start out with:

Do you consider yourself a good person and if you do why, if you don't then why?

[Garcia Bronco]

I do. Because I try to help people to make them successful at what ever they are going in my personal and professional life.

[gobroncos313]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

I do. Because I try to help people to make them successful at what ever they are going in my personal and professional life.

Good, thanks for the response and please forgive me if I seem a little antagonistic in my responses or judgmental I just want to get some good feed back from folks.

Pretty much every bad person at some point has tried to help people to make them successful at what ever they are doing in their personal and professional life, so what makes you any different than them? Haven't you ever taken advantage of someone for your own gain or lied to someone or mistreated someone? Does the good you've done counterbalance the bad? Hopefully this will get some good responses from you or someone else.

[Smiling Assassin27]

Most of the time, when people say 'I'm a good person.', they usually mean, 'I'm not a bad person.'

Despite my urge to take you on a journey through Aristotle/Aquinas-ville (where my real answer would lie), I'll go this route instead:

I do, not because of anything I've done, but because God does not make junk.

[barryr]

Reality is nobody is perfect, so we all have done something in our lives that was not a "good" thing, but if you are someone who frequently thinks of others over yourself, does not do things that harm people, especially in a significant way, and has made an effort to help people when given a chance, while not just telling others to do good for others while not doing a thing like some people do, I would say that is a good person.

[Smiling Assassin27]

A wise man once said that a good action is different from a good person, and both are very different from a good breakfast.

[gobroncos313]

Originally Posted by Smiling Assassin27

Most of the time, when people say 'I'm a good person.', they usually mean, 'I'm not a bad person.'

Despite my urge to take you on a journey through Aristotle/Aquinas-ville (where my real answer would lie), I'll go this route instead:

I do, not because of anything I've done, but because God does not make junk.

So your good just because God made you. So you're going to go directly to Heaven just because God made you, is that correct? What about everybody else, are they going directly to Heaven just because God made them too? Didn't God make Adolf Hitler, so is Adolf Hitler a good guy in his own way or by your definition?

[gobroncos313]

Originally Posted by barryr

Reality is nobody is perfect, so we all have done something in our lives that was not a "good" thing, but if you are someone who frequently thinks of others over yourself, does not do things that harm people, especially in a significant way, and has made an effort to help people when given a chance, while not just telling others to do good for others while not doing a thing like some people do, I would say that is a good person.

So as long as you just think of others over yourself your a good person.

So as long as you don't harm others in a significant way your a good person? So what do you consider significant?

How much of an effort do you have to put forth in helping someong, so If I just think about helping someone else is that enough effort?

[Mr.Meanie]

Originally Posted by gobroncos313

Hey folks, I need some help. I have written two plays and am currently working on the script for my third. I would like to get some feedback from folks on a few things just to get and idea as to what people might say about certain things. I would appreciate all the help you could give me.

What I'll do is ask a question right here and then you answer it and I'll make some responses to your answers and anyone can feel free to fire back at the responses.

Lets start out with:

Do you consider yourself a good person and if you do why, if you don't then why?

I would consider myself a good person, relative to society's expectations of how I should act to "fit in". I provide well for my family, treat my friends and neighbors well, and actively support our community. I employ people, give to charity, I hold doors for people coming in behind me.

But it's all relative... everyone thinks they are a good person, even really horrible people. I'm sure that Judge who abused his daughter thinks of himself as a good person, and even Bernie Madoff said he doesn't think he's a bad person. I believe the benchmark is how you behave relative to everyone else in your community. You may think you're a good person because you're super religious, but if everyone in your community thinks you're a douchebag and can't stand you, then I would say you're probably not.

And community can mean many things - your local neighborhood, your country, or even everyone alive in a given era.

[Mr.Meanie]

Originally Posted by Smiling Assassin27

Most of the time, when people say 'I'm a good person.', they usually mean, 'I'm not a bad person.'

Despite my urge to take you on a journey through Aristotle/Aquinas-ville (where my real answer would lie), I'll go this route instead:

I do, not because of anything I've done, but because God does not make junk.

Are you for reals?

[Smiling Assassin27]

Originally Posted by gobroncos313

So your good just because God made you. So you're going to go directly to Heaven just because God made you, is that correct? What about everybody else, are they going directly to Heaven just because God made them too? Didn't God make Adolf Hitler, so is Adolf Hitler a good guy in his own way or by your definition?

Nope, you've drawn conclusions from my statement that I've not implied or even suggested.

So you're going to go directly to Heaven just because God made you, is that correct?

I don't recall even mentioning Heaven, let alone going there, directly or indirectly. Is your question about going to Heaven? Is it about 'goodness' or is it about 'doing good things'?

What about everybody else, are they going directly to Heaven just because God made them too?

Again, I'm not God so I won't take a stab at that one. My point is that there exists an essential goodness in every person BECAUSE of who created them and the commensurate dignity and grace that comes with that. Does that preclude people from doing heinous things? Of course not. Are you asking us to judge ourselves according to good/not good actions alone to determine if we're a 'good person'?

Didn't God make Adolf Hitler, so is Adolf Hitler a good guy in his own way or by your definition?

The standard applies to Hitler too. He maintains a dignity and intrinsic goodness by virtue of the fact that God created him. The fact that he freely committed horrendously evil acts cannot diminish this but it does diminish his inclination to virtue, which means his future actions can-and probably will-also be evil.

[Smiling Assassin27]

Originally Posted by Mr.Meanie

Are you for reals?

Good argument, dude.

[barryr]

Originally Posted by gobroncos313

So as long as you just think of others over yourself your a good person.

So as long as you don't harm others in a significant way your a good person? So what do you consider significant?

How much of an effort do you have to put forth in helping someong, so If I just think about helping someone else is that enough effort?

Significant would be something that impacts that person's life, such as a violent crime. Some people do such things, then change and do not do such things anymore, but there is no scoreboard to use whether you have done enough good things for people.

Volunteering, opening doors for people, helping someone move, etc. are all things to consider as well, but again, there is no set number of time or hours to use so one couldn't say I reached my 1,000 hours of helping or whatever, so I am "good."

So if there is no number to use, then it is all based on one's own perception of what or how much to consider "goodness" in a person. In other words, there is obviously no standard for all to use. One could argue with another that he is more hungry than the other, but no real way to prove that either.

[gobroncos313]

Originally Posted by barryr

So if there is no number to use, then it is all based on one's own perception of what or how much to consider "goodness" in a person. In other words, there is obviously no standard for all to use. One could argue with another that he is more hungry than the other, but no real way to prove that either.

Isn't that moral relativism? What if one were to say there is a standard? What could we use for that standard?

[gobroncos313]

Originally Posted by barryr

So if there is no number to use, then it is all based on one's own perception of what or how much to consider "goodness" in a person. In other words, there is obviously no standard for all to use. One could argue with another that he is more hungry than the other, but no real way to prove that either.

Just to follow up more, based upon this assumption; Adolf Hitler was a good person because he perceived what he was doing as goodness. Couldn't one say that based upon these rules.

So there has to be some sort of objective consistent standard that we all can gauge ourselves on consistently, doesn't there?

[barryr]

Originally Posted by gobroncos313

Just to follow up more, based upon this assumption; Adolf Hitler was a good person because he perceived what he was doing as goodness. Couldn't one say that based upon these rules.

So there has to be some sort of objective consistent standard that we all can gauge ourselves on consistently, doesn't there?

Problem is not everyone has the same standards, so would be hard to find one that fits all. If all people could possible perceive the killing and hating of people for simply what they look or being different as being "good," then that society can not be helped. Hitler thought it was good but in reality, he was thinking of himself, not the good for others despite his claims.

[gobroncos313]

Originally Posted by barryr

Problem is not everyone has the same standards, so would be hard to find one that fits all. If all people could possible perceive the killing and hating of people for simply what they look or being different as being "good," then that society can not be helped. Hitler thought it was good but in reality, he was thinking of himself, not the good for others despite his claims.

Actually a dedicated Nazi would argue with you on that last sentence as they felt he was purifying the human race for the good of humanity. Moral relativism opens the door for this kind of thinking.

Why does everyone not have the same standards? Wouldn't you say that it is pretty standard that we should not kill others, should not steal, lie, and cheat?

What if our Creator gave us a set of standards to live by? What would those standards look like?

[barryr]

Originally Posted by gobroncos313

Actually a dedicated Nazi would argue with you on that last sentence as they felt he was purifying the human race for the good of humanity. Moral relativism opens the door for this kind of thinking.

Why does everyone not have the same standards? Wouldn't you say that it is pretty standard that we should not kill others, should not steal, lie, and cheat?

What if our Creator gave us a set of standards to live by? What would those standards look like?

Well, for the good for humanity means killing, raping, and torturing people as was done is good for humanity, then humanity has a problem to say the least.

Many people do not want to believe in a Creator, so that means there can be no real set moral standards to what is good. That opens the door to Nazis and others who would rather people not believe in a God but a cause instead and that their cause is what we all should reach for and if that means certain people must die, then so be it.

[gobroncos313]

Originally Posted by barryr

Well, for the good for humanity means killing, raping, and torturing people as was done is good for humanity, then humanity has a problem to say the least.

Many people do not want to believe in a Creator, so that means there can be no real set moral standards to what is good. That opens the door to Nazis and others who would rather people not believe in a God but a cause instead and that their cause is what we all should reach for and if that means certain people must die, then so be it.

Most studies show that 88% of the worlds population believes in a Creator and that number is 95% in the US. But the bottom line is what standard is the most practical standard to use when determining if you are a good person or not?

[Pony Boy]

Originally Posted by gobroncos313

Do you consider yourself a good person and if you do why, if you don't then why?

Yes because I'm scared of going to prison and getting butt-raped by big bubba........

[barryr]

Originally Posted by gobroncos313

Most studies show that 88% of the worlds population believes in a Creator and that number is 95% in the US. But the bottom line is what standard is the most practical standard to use when determining if you are a good person or not?

That number is significantly less if that poll is taken in this forum. Some of that number is also muslims who many believe it is ok to "kill the infidel" so take that for what it is worth.

But like you stated, lying, cheating, killing would be a good standard to use, but that IMO.

[gobroncos313]

Maybe we can make this a little easier so people aren't going in all different directions and use a standard to determine whether we are really a good person or not. What if we use the 10 Commandments and discuss them one at a time.

Lets start here:

1. I am the lord thy God, you shall have no strange Gods before Me.

Do you live by this commandment and if so why do you think you do or don't?

[Requiem]

No I don't.

[Garcia Bronco]

Originally Posted by gobroncos313

Good, thanks for the response and please forgive me if I seem a little antagonistic in my responses or judgmental I just want to get some good feed back from folks.

Pretty much every bad person at some point has tried to help people to make them successful at what ever they are doing in their personal and professional life, so what makes you any different than them? Haven't you ever taken advantage of someone for your own gain or lied to someone or mistreated someone? Does the good you've done counterbalance the bad? Hopefully this will get some good responses from you or someone else.

I don't know.

Yes, when I was young. In my opinion, the good I have done is the beyond greater than the harm I've done. I am a positive person though. I see the good in things.

[gobroncos313]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

I don't know.

Yes, when I was young. In my opinion, the good I have done is the beyond greater than the harm I've done. I am a positive person though. I see the good in things.

So by that rule if someone were to murder a loved one of yours but had saved two peoples lives beforehand the judge should set them free without punishment?