Your Whole Story

    "It's important to know the whole story before you judge a person."

What makes a person a good person? That's a question that I've been thinking about. There are a variety of words that come to mind when I think about what makes a person good. Honesty, integrity, virtue, kindness, compassion and many other words flow from the descriptions of good people. I feel like those words only have it half right though. The other words that qualify someone as good include dishonesty, adulterous, mean, and other words that follow the descriptions of bad people. Now you're probably thinking "Uh, that second list of words do not qualify someone as good, that qualifies them as bad!" The reason that I add those words to the list of many is because there cannot be goodness without the bad. There can also be no bad without the good. It's all about contrast.

    Let's compare light or the absence of light. When you see light, you are able to see the light as well as where there is none. It works the opposite as well. The presence of light and absence of light is what gives things shape. Once objects have a perceived shape, we can then determine its quality. Relating this back to being a good person. It is the bad qualities in us that bring out the good qualities, as well as the other way around. If you are to be a whole person, you must be aware of both the good and bad qualities that you have. I believe the acknowledgement and awareness of your own good and your own bad is what makes you not a good or bad person, but a whole person. 

     With the way society is these days, we try and forget about our flaws and advertise our strengths. It's the way of social media. You cannot judge a person's character by their advertised qualities, because then you are only judging half of their picture. To truly know a person's character, you have to see their light and dark qualities. When you see the light and the dark, that is when you can make the judgement call. But even then, it is still only the way you perceive their shape. When you find a person that you can enjoy as a whole person, that is when you know that they are a good person for you. It's not too often that you find those people. I know just a few, and I absolutely adore them, and don't know how my life would be without them.

     You can judge a person by the half story that you have, but in my opinion the only way that you can define a good person is by their whole story. Their light side and their dark side. In the end it all depends on your own perception. The most important person that you should know as a good person is yourself. You know your whole story. Just know that it's your whole story that makes you who you are, not your good parts or bad parts. Good people, are whole people. Being a whole person makes it easier for me to LIVE NOW and enjoy the people that I'm with. Thanks for reading and we'll talk soon!