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A good person

What does the term actually mean

By Tyler BrookePublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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A good person
Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

Like many words, the terms good and bad are phrases that have been coined by the human race. Specifically however, they are adjectives. While adjectives usually have one meaning for their idioms, they have many forms of interpretation. For example, if you ask me what the tasty part of the cow is, I will be more than happy to tell you that the tastiest part of the bovine comes from the ribs. I say this because the marbling is evenly balanced and the meat you get from the ribs of a cow is bountiful to say the least.

However, just because I believe that to be true, doesn't mean that it is true. It's just my personal opinion. Some people will tell you that the tongue is the tastiest part. Others will tell you that they prefer chest of the cow (otherwise known as brisket). Then there are some who prefer the flank. That doesn't necessarily make these people correct. That also means they aren't incorrect in saying that either. For it is their belief and they should be able to stand by it.

That is the beauty of the group of words known as adjectives. The words they use to describe can be open to interpretation. This brings me to the topic at hand. Terms like good and bad have been used more times than not. They have lost all meaning.

For example, someone will say that The Last Airbender film is a bad movie and that Princess Mononoke is a good film. That sentence within itself is very vague to say the least. What makes The Last Airbender movie bad and what makes Princess Mononoke good.

To start off with the negative review, The Last Airbender was an attempt of making a live action series based of a beloved Nickelodeon series of the same name. Shyamalan tried cramming 20 episodes into a single time frame of 104 minutes. Which in itself, doesn't sound like a bad idea on paper. The problem is however, the story itself is filled with character development and well written story line. It's like fitting an entire buffet tray on a single plate. It's way to messy and more work than one truly needs.

For the positive review, Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke takes place in the the late Muromachi period of Japan (approximately 1336 to 1573 CE). This story tells the conflict of man's struggle to survive and the preservation of the forest. While plot wise it does sound like many ecofriendly films we've seen before (Wall-E, Fern Gully and Avatar to name a few) is that this movie tells both sides. That being the humans of Iron Town and the forest dieties that protect the forest. While the antagonists are present, there is no character that is a true villain. Not to mention it's phenomonal cast. As a person who prefers his foreign shows and movies in their native tongue, I strongly recommend this one in the English dubbed. With such stars including: Billy Crudup (Prince Ashitaka), Minnie Driver (Lady Eboshi of Iron Town) and Keith David (Lord Okkoto of the boar tribe as well as the narrator for the first scene in the film).

That being said, it's easy to use the words good and bad for non human applications. Like in the case of food, film and everything in between. It's when we use the term on humans where we get the definition to be askew. What makes a person good? What makes a person bad? While it's true that everyone is in fact the hero of their own story, doesn't necessarily make them a good person. It also doesn't necessarily make them a bad person either.

If you asked me what makes a good person a good person, I would be more than happy to tell you. I believe that a good person does things for people not because they have to, but because they want to. I believe a good person treats everyone equally. Regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, age, religion, political affiliation, gender or sex. I also believe that a good person is someone who reaches out to people when they need reaching out. I also believe that these people will do or say unfavorable things, but with the best of intentions in mind.

As for what I believe what makes a bad person a bad person, it's this. I believe bad people intentionally do harm to others for no other reason than their own amusement. I believe that a bad person can't be honest with themselves or others and is willing to be a hypocrite or go by the rules of double standards. I believe a bad person will go out of their way to do harm to others, just for that reason alone.

However, as I have mentioned before, that is my interpretation of what a good person is and what a bad person is as well. That doesn't mean that I am necessarily correct on the matter. However, if I were to ask anyone on the street what they believed a good (or bad) person is, there is a very good chance that they will agree with me. What do you believe the qualities of a good or bad person are?

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About the Creator

Tyler Brooke

Hello,

I'm Tyler Brooke. I'm 30 years of age and have enjoyed writing all my life. I'm a published author with one book to my name and plan on writing more. I joined this page to express myself creatively and to read well written stories.

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