Episode 64: (Born A) Clean Slate

"I know it's bad when we look out/but bad, bad people don't live in our house/so I'm gonna look good for you, honey."

                                      -Bleachers, "Let's Get Married"

   When I was in high school, I took an AP Psychology class. Among the many things we learned, one of them was about how there are three different schools of thought when it comes to the "goodness" of people from birth.

   One is the optimistic idea that people are naturally good and want to good deeds and help others. Maybe it's because they feel good doing what's right, maybe they selfishly like the potential of being rewarded, maybe they just fear punishment of doing what's wrong. 

   Another is the pessimistic idea that people are naturally bad and want to deviate and break the rules. Maybe it feels good to rebel, maybe the selfishly like having power over others and causing harm. Maybe they don't fear punishment and consider the thrill of being naughty their "reward" in the absence of getting rewarded for good deeds.

   Finally, the one I ascribe to, is the "clean slate" idea. That people are not naturally good, nor are they naturally bad. People are inherently neutral and are shaped one way or the other by their life, their experiences, and how they react to them. The choices they make, the people they associate with. 

Upbringing

  A lot of people say that the kind of person you are depends on how you were raised. I think that's only partly true. Good parenting does cause good children, but not always. Some evil people had good parents. Conversely, some really good people had horrible parents.

   Having a bad upbringing is no excuse to be a bad person. You are not your parents. You can rise above them. But, if you have good parents, it's easy to take after them and at least try to be a good person. Which brings me to the next thing...

Difficulty

 I think it's easier to be a good person than it is to be a bad person. It's extremely easy to just follow rules and be kind. Being rude, breaking rules, invites the possibilities of conflict, pain, and punishment. Sure, these things can happen to good people, but rules and laws are put into place so good people don't have to worry about the punishing side of them. And to protect them from those bad people.

Life

  Bad things happen to everyone. Some people let those bad things turn them into bad people, but some good people are unchanged by what happens to them, or they rise above the bad things to make themselves stronger and wiser. That reinforces the clean slate idea. 

In Conclusion

   No one is naturally a good or bad person. You are not born either. You become one or the other by your circumstances throughout life and how you react to them and what they do to you. You are also not permanently one or the other - a good person can become a bad person and a bad person can become a good person.

Anyway, see you next week!