There’s always going to be the age-old philosophical argument over whether people are inherently good or bad. It’s just another example of society’s binary, black and white view of life – things can either be one way, or they can be another. In my opinion, people are not inherently anything; they’re just people who do good or bad things. But it can be easy to lose sight of reason and philosophy, especially in light of controversial news such as Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries’ comments about his target demographic and my ongoing beauty series on how the media is basically ruining our lives.
While it’s important to take note of the potentially harmful effects of societal influences, it’s also important that we don’t fall into the habit of branding the entire world as “bad” despite the sucky things that people may do or say. So, let’s take a moment to remember a few good things about the human race.
1) People are generally capable of common human decency.
I was thinking of this one over the weekend while traveling home from ND – when you land in an airport, you expect your suitcase to be waiting in the baggage carousel even if you take an extra few minutes to stop by the restroom or get something to eat. And this extends beyond ND and the United States, too – I remember landing in London after a trip to Rome last semester and spending a full hour and a half in line at passport control to later find my lonely Primark duffel bag spinning around at baggage claim. The same thing applies to how most people on college campuses feel safe enough to leave their belongings at a table unattended in the dining hall or the library. And it’s all because of a simple principle: people generally don’t take what isn’t theirs. Even if they do, it’s an isolated event of a bad action, not something indicative of widespread malice. The “default” is to not steal. And not because good people don’t steal therefore all people are good, but because basic morals are part of being human.
2) Most people are really nice to tourists.
When I was a senior in high school, I visited Case Western University in Ohio for a tour. Before dismissing us to wander on our own, one of the guides said to just as anyone for directions if we need help; she said that the best way to test the friendliness of a place is to ask for directions to a building while you’re standing right in front of it. Try it sometime. I’ve inadvertently found myself in that situation more than once. And it actually feels just as good to receive the kindness of a few minutes from someone’s day as it does to be the one to kindly give someone directions. It feels nice to be nice.
3) Someone invented salted caramel and all of its derivative desserts.
This is literally one of the best things in the entire world. I’m not sure when it was first invented, but salted caramel has definitely gained popularity in recent years. There’s something about the salty-sweet-savory taste of the combination. I’ve become obsessed with Haagen-Dazs’ Salted Caramel Truffle ice cream. I can’t even explain it, just go try it.
Look at them.
4) This exists. This is a thing in the world.