Definition Essay: What Makes A Good Person?

Every word has a definition, but doesn’t everyone's brain think in different ways? “Good”, like any other word has different meaning for each individual.

A quality example of a good person is my cousin. My cousin is an extremely unselfish person. It seems that every weekend, when he is supposed to be off work, he offers to go in, unpaid, to catch the plant up on products in order to make the plant run more smoothly for the days that follow. Not only that, he only buys the necessities in such as food, water, and shelter. Then with the money left over he donates to a foster care system in Rockford where he often visits the children with presents just to cheer them up. Another example of why my cousin is a good person is that he is honest. Apparently he’s been this way ever since he was in his teen years. At age seventeen he got his girlfriend pregnant, and instead of beating around the bush he told his parents and faced the consequences that followed. He also follows the law at all times. He has never gotten a ticket and is that person that other people get annoyed with because he is always following the rules.

According to psychologist Steve Taylor, there are good people and there are evil people.

What makes these people good is their ability to empathize, have compassion, be unselfish, and to put others before himself. Whereas evil people lack all of these qualities and do the exact opposite. Then he goes on to say that most people are in the gray area between. The qualities of a good person that Taylor notes in his article of “The Real Meaning of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’,” are accurate to today’s world, however, there are many more aspects that lend a role in deciding what is good and what is evil. For instance, the situations one goes through on a daily basis can determine this for

them.

Famous people are looked up to by many; if they choose to use their power to send a message of good character they are moral. Well known scientist Albert Einstein stated, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Einstein is showing that good people see others for who they are. They do not judge others based on a common expectation of society. Everyone is different, so they should be treated so. Another well known figure in a completely different aspect, JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, said “I think you have a moral responsibility when you've been given far more than you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently.” This is correct in every way. Humans with good morals use what they have to make the most out of it. These people are not focused on the material things, but instead the necessities in life such as food, water, and shelter. If they are rich they donate to the poor, if they are poor they pay others in kindness as well as gratitude. Life can be challenging if one has to depend on others; however, it is possible to make the most out of every situation. Helen Keller, who was both deaf and blind, still had a positive outlook on life; she noted, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Good people never put their head down in any situation because they realize that nothing positive can happen if their outlook on life is negative. Helen is a prime example of a morally good being; she had a harder life than anyone could probably imagine, yet she still managed to attend and earn a college degree.

Situations may test character, but the people with good morals will always make the morally good choice. For instance, some days in school students struggle with a particular concept, so they ask their friends for assistance. A good person does not just let them borrow their assignment, but instead sits down with their friend to properly explain the topic. Now, imagine if one was to come across a homeless person begging for money. A good person wouldn’t just hand them money because there would be no way of knowing if it truly helped them. For all that person knows, the homeless person could go spend the money on some kind of drugs or cigarettes. Instead, a person with quality morals would take that individual to a local restaurant, store, or gas station to buy them something to eat or warmer clothes to wear. This way one can insure that their money is truly helping the individual while at the same time being able to carry out a conversation to better understand their situation.

Good has an alternative meaning to everyone. For instance, there is a stereotype that if one does not attend church every Sunday they are not good; however, that action cannot determine this. Often times, individuals are too consumed in their lives to attend. This does not make them bad. They are still good if they follow their beliefs, and act out kindness. In fact, they may even have more moral than if they did attend church and didn’t follow through with their beliefs. Good people to not rub their beliefs in other people’s faces, but instead listens to and respects the differences. Furthermore, people who carry out deeds to help others are not necessarily good. Instead, it depends on the reasons behind it. It does not matter if they do a million good things if the reasons are not good as well. Donating to charity is not good if one wants the praise. Helping behind the scenes and not seeking recognition is a good deed.

The elements of unselfishness, kindness, optimism, and failure to judge come together in order to suggest what good truly is. There are many more aspects to good than what is laid forth, however, these characteristics alone form the base of being good.