Bad? Not A Chance.

What makes a person good or bad? Are people truly one or the other? What qualities define a person as one or the other? What if a person has the qualities of both the good and bad?

There are times when awful things happen to people and we find ourselves thinking, "he had that coming," or, "she never deserved such a thing to happen." Why? Why is it that for some people we call it karma but for others it's bad luck? Why is it justifiable for one person to do something particularly horrid to another, but not for someone else? "Oh, but you're such a good person... it was just a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes," may come out of the same mouth that condemns another person with, "You're going to Hell; there was no excuse for that." It's amazing what double standards we have. It's absolutely terrifying that what is okay for some is not for others. Who are we to judge? Who are we to condemn one person and put another on a pedestal?

I know people who are convinced they are "bad," when in reality, they've finally just grown a backbone. It does not make you a bad person to speak your mind. It does not make you a bad person to stand your ground and not give up. It does not make you a bad person to believe in karma and feel that, well, we all get what we deserve. In the grand scheme of things, most of our day t0 day goings on are unimportant. They are not defining moments in our lives. They will not send us to Heaven or Hell. No, they will not label us as "good" or "bad" because of the small choices we make. The things that define who we are may not be the ones we think they are. You are not a bad person if, for example, you forget your best friend's birthday or you miss a family event every now and again. You are not a bad person for feeling angry or upset, for wanting others to see the world as you do, or for resenting another.

There are reasons that we feel the way we do. There are reasons we act in the ways that we do. There are reasons, yes, for the things we say and to whom we say them. The reasons may not necessarily be good ones, but they're there. There is always something that drives us to do the things we do, so can we really be faulted for it? This is why, and you may or may not agree, I believe that humans are inherently good. We may make poor choices and do things that society considers to be bad, but everyone is born with the ability to choose. We may choose to live positive, fulfilling, loving lives, or we may choose to rape, kill, and steal. I like to think, though, that deep down, beneath all the masks and the mistakes, everyone is good.