Is the world, as a whole, a good place or a bad place?
I’m not going offer up my personal opinion, because that belongs in the deepest depths of my own reality and doesn’t deserve to be sacrificed to The Daily Clot, but I will offer some possibilities.
Some might say, “the world is a good place.”
Those who find themselves in this category haven’t exposed themselves to a large enough portion of the horribleness in the world to understand the truth—that the world is an awful place (again, I’m not picking sides).
Others might say, “the world is a bad place.”
Those who find themselves in this category have seen more horribleness than goodness in the world.
Who is to say, though, what qualifies as good and what qualifies as bad.
The majority of people would qualify “good” simply as “that which doesn’t inflict violence.” MOST PEOPLE WOULD FALL UNDER THIS CATEGORY, EVEN IF THEY DON’T ACTIVELY ACKNOWLEDGE THIS BELIEF.
Allow me to explain.
You’re waiting on a line. Doesn’t matter where. We’ll say, for argument’s sake, that you’re waiting on the line to get into a Dave Matthew’s Band concert. The location really doesn’t matter. Make it a line at the library; I really don’t care.
You hear a thud behind you.
A middle-aged woman has collapsed. She’s unconscious.
Most people (I call them “sheep”) would spectate as the slim minority of people (good people) would actively seek medical assistance for this poor woman. Many, if not all, of the sheep would still consider themselves to be “good people,” yet wouldn’t offer any assistance in this type of emergency.
Why?
I’ve learned something in the 3 medical emergencies I’ve been forced (by my own moral values) to offer my personal assistance in.
You never yell, “somebody call 911!” No. Do you know why? You never yell “somebody call 911” because everybody always assumes somebody else will be the one to call. This is because everyone is a sheep. EVERYBODY’S A SHEEP. EVERYBODY.
Instead, you point to one specific person in the crowd. “You, blue shirt with red stripes (what an awful shirt)- call 911, RIGHT NOW! I SAID, ‘RIGHT NOW!’”
Boom.
If you want somebody to actually call the police, you need to pinpoint a specific individual and task them with calling 911. Never throw a request meant for one person to a group of people, unless you’re secretly trying to sabotage the individual with the medical emergency.
I digress. Forgive me.
You see, most people are not actively committing evil acts. That being said, I do think that most people are either “not good people” or “straight-up stupid people.”
Again, not picking a side.
Until next time,
Michael J. Erickson, CEO & Co-Founder
