Do you belive there are more 'good' people than 'bad' ?

Yes,I do good,that is..:)

Yes, I think there is more good than bad in people and in the world.

I think unhappy people think there is more evil than good.

My life experiences scream no, but I’m always optimistic (or stupid), so yes, I think most people are good.

your friends are wrong. I have been helped by total strangers in extraordinary circumstances- more times than just a few

Generally. What I believe is that we can build a world, build societies, build communities and organizations, build businesses and create circumstances that bring out the best in people and that we can build a world, build societies, build communities and organizations, build businesses and create circumstances that bring out the worst in people. It is our choice.

with just the experience i have had lately…
i think there are more bad.

but once you find the good its different
they stick around in your life a lot more so you will see more of the good than bad
:)

I consider even mild disrespect as enough credential to consider someone malicious. I get plenty of disrespect on a daily basis. Not always here on Fluther, of course.

But what defines whether someone is good or bad?
Someone who may be good to you could be bad to someone else.
Perhaps a Christian thinking someone is bad for being an Atheist or a vegetarian thinking someone who works at a meat farm is bad.
The good and bad spectrum is way too vague. What about everything in between?
The world and it’s people aren’t so black and white, unfortunately.

I think that there are more good than bad, but it depends on how you define the characteristics of a person who is ‘bad’. However, I think that there are more ‘bad’ actions than good. But just because there are ‘bad’ actions, that doesn’t mean that the person is ‘bad’

I think it’s necessary (for me anyway) to think there is more good than bad in people. If I didn’t feel that way, I wouldn’t be able to be a happy person and I wouldn’t be able to trust anyone. Why did your friends believe that there was more evil than good in this world?

I believe people are just stupid, some more than others…

@cheebdragon, I do believe there are lots ‘o people who just don’t think.

By far! Consider the person who gives you the wrong directions when you stop and ask, but they took time out just for you, and TRIED. Or, how about the stranger who tells you that you’ve accidentally left something in your grocery cart? How about the person who let’s you cut in line with two items, when they have tons of items to pay for? Has a peson ever helped you when you’re broken down on the side of the road?

Has anyone ever let you use their cell phone because your battery went dead? What about a person who tells you something they liked that you did? None of these people had anything of enough value that persuaded them to help you. They just did it. They expected nothing in return. People are inherently good, there is no doubt in my mind about that. So much so, in fact, that stories of do-gooders hardly ever make the news. It isn’t sensational enough! Something horrible really stands out, though, because it stands out against the background of all the good that gets done in a million ways, every day.

No, actually quite the opposite.

@phillis, very good point about sensationalism. We hear WAY too much bad crap on tv, but honestly, do you ever hear any of the good stuff that @phillis mentioned when you watch the news or read the paper? Nope, it’s not gory enough. Not sad enough. It’s not bad enough to make you think, ‘what has happened to people these days?’ How sad is that? If we started hearing good stories as much as we now hear the bad, could we possibly be happier people?

Hah! Love it!

Great sharings!

I absoloutly believe in the ‘good.’

One friend has a family in law enforcement and the other is still working through family & marital issues. I told them both that I felt their views were clouded by their experiences.

I do think it is all about attitude, 100%

You guys make me happy right now! ;-)

What are you talking about? We are all bad people.

I think @Captain_Fantasy nailed the answer. Nothing for me to add except lurve. (Man-lurve, dude. It’s okay.)

I would define ‘good’ as goodwill, integrity, compassionate behaviors, helpfulness, honesty.

“Bad’ would be dishonest in life damaging ways, deceitful, the usual, theft, murder, betrayal, cruelty.

I have had my fair share of unhappy experiences but inspite of those moments I do belive most are possessed of good intention and caring.

I think that people are generally good. I do think that experience, intelligence and humor have a lot to do with it though. People from small homogenous towns are afraid of different people and feel threatened. Some of these people have absolutely zero sense of humor and can start to imagine that some people are out to harm them when they just don’t get it. Other people have a lifestyle such as a cop which exposes them to all manner of nefarious situations and they can imagine that this is an example when it’s really just what they are exposed to in disproportionate numbers.

I think it would be impossible to find out. how do you define a ‘good’ person? I think everyone can be ‘bad’ ever now and then, but I think the majority of people are not ‘bad’ rather than just apathetic.

My definition of good and bad people is based on, awareness, or lack of it. “Bad” people think really small, they think of themselves, and what they want, and they think of other people as either being an asset or a detriment to what they want – very small awareness. “Good” people think of others. The only way to be a “Good” person is to be aware enough of what you are doing to know how you are affecting others.

First Understanding the nature of “good” will get us one step closer to the right answer.

But in all men there is some good, and since we by our very nature will normally seek to do what is considered as “Good” when eyes are upon us. It is then not surprising that many will have an appearance of goodness.

But there is only one accurate judge of goodness and that is Truth. And truth is so very intimate that it must first be clearly seen in us before we are able to even begin to see it in others.

And through that knowledge of truth in me I can say there is not much “good” in this world, but very many appearances of it.

Do no harm. And…humor is EVERYTHING! lol

Of course, we all have the capability to commit any and every offense dependant on circumstance, so knowing ourselves is tantamount to any sort of self awareness.

That IS the key…I know if I am starving and looking forward to a healthy meal I better run from the bakery! hahaha

I like this definition of integrity that I came across once….

Doing the right thing whether or not someone is looking! :-)

Man’s nature at root is good but the ego can wreak havoc.

Yep, good ol’ ego….nails it!

@Coloma
I’m kind of unique though in that I don’t even think mass murderers are evil. I just see them as having a terrible sickness of the ego/self which causes them to seek relief in causing others pain but are still tremendously tormented.

I think there are very few truly bad people. However, good people do bad things all the time out of need, greed, envy, anger… We are human; capable of every human emotion.

Depends on where you live.

@SeventhSense

Not as unique as you might think, I share this view also, just don’t talk about it much as most don’t get the concept of unconsciousness and how ego plays that out.

I get it. The ‘pain body’ have you read Tolle?

I agree, thats where compassion comes in. :-)

I think the good by far and away outweigh the bad. The bad are just louder, ruder and more likely to be remembered at the end of a long day (only because our brains remember the bad more than the good)

I feel that if there is good than there is an equal amount of evil. I believe that it has to stay balanced in order for things in the world to run smoothly.

Seems more like there is a balance. It’s about 50/50 right now.

There must have more good people than bad. We should believe that most people in this world are kind and believe the world is a beautiful world.

I believe that everybody’s rotten, if you dig down far enough.

No.

As a trained clinical psychologist, I can say that the more I have learned about human beings, the more I like my dogs.

Being a good person is so much harder to do than to be a bad person.

Still we can choose to associate with the good people we know and distance ourselves from those who fail to make the effort to be as good as they could and should be.

@Dr_Lawrence
“Lord, make me the man that my dog thinks I am.”

I dont actually believe in the concept of ‘good’ and ‘evil. However for the sake of argument… I think that all people are capable of acts that would be deemed either good or evil given the right circumstances & peer pressure.

Times like these – remind me of Watchmen. There is no black or white, only gray. Sorry if I’m not adding value here.

Nothing to say that hasn’t already been said.

@Coloma
I actually have not read Tolle, embarrassed as I am to say, although I’ve only heard him mentioned about a billion times. And I can only guess from the amount of people who have mentioned him to me that we have very similar philosophies. I don’t chase after enlightening thinkers as much as I try to recognize. As Emerson said:
A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the luster of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.

@SeventhSense

I like that! Yep, all that tail chasing huh? lolololol

I am a dog.

@SeventhSense Yes. Yes, you are a dog. It’s a good thing that you are embracing your heritage.

@Jeremycw1
Born of a bitch.
your mother of course :)

@SeventhSense lol

Yes, because the emotion of remorse is present in the vast majority of humans.

I think that there are more goodhearted ppl. If there were more bad souled ppl then life
would be choas and a rueful punishment. But thank god it isnt.