You Are A Good Person

You may have woken up late this morning, after falling asleep without brushing your teeth or taking out your contacts, but it is okay. You may be short-tempered and awkward and you might get hangry every day at 5:00pm, but that is fine too. You may have a thousand flaws that exhibit themselves in three thousand ways, but those flaws do not define you.

There are alcoholics, cheaters, liars, and thieves that work as attorneys, physicians, and public service men and women. In this chaotic world we tend to focus on the negative. Negative people, negative headlines, negative stories, negative words, and negative energy. Hatred and vitriol get us nowhere, and the negativity and mistakes that may surround us need not define us. A physician who saves lives while losing control of her own is still a worthy, noble person. And an attorney who finds solace at the bottom of a bottle after a week of brutal litigation is still serving a just purpose. And simply because a police officer binge eats as a source of comfort for the private cacophony in his soul, he is not any less worthy of respect for his time on the front lines.

You see, we are not the dichotomy of ourselves that the world may label us. We are neither the liar nor the doctor, the chronically depressed nor the well-respected teacher. We are ourselves. We are Janet and Johnny and Jill and Jude but never simply the profession or transgression that people may know us by.

Goodness and badness are not mutually exclusive; in fact, few things in life are. We all have badness within ourselves. Some of us have cruel tongues, or pass judgment, or fail to apologize when we have done wrong. Others hurt the ones they love, burn bridges that could have carried them wonderful places, and refuse to forgive. But badness is not our wholeness and in whole you are good.

We are all flawed, this I know for sure. But the thing about life that is both lovely and maddening is that it is not static. Things, people, and situations change — so does integrity.

So if you are reading this in a glass house, filled with ruthless judgment aimed towards others, realize that you possess badness just as others possess goodness.

And if you are reading this feeling stoned and defeated, remember that you possess goodness. It’s inherent.

We are not the sum of our actions, but our actions do create a sum. If we are lucky, and we try our best, that sum will always round up to the good. Don’t get me wrong: there are bad people in this world. But we have created this new age era of “burning the witch” in which we dwell more on the negative than the positive.

So while there will always be negative headlines and horrible injustices that we cannot control, there will also be beauty right around the corner. And for anyone who tries to strip you of your beauty or the beauty of the world around you, stay positive. The world needs more of that these days.

So here is your reminder: you are a good person. Even when you make mistakes. Even when you forget.