With classes to attend, exams to study for, a part-time job, and social life to balance, college students are bound to get caught up in all the chaos. Being a good person and remaining completely moral in the process seems almost unattainable.
We are the generation who is constantly exposed to police brutality, sexual assault, and pure injustice in the media. But Anne Frank was absolutely right when she said, “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
You probably raised your voice at one of your parents last week because you were so stressed. You’ve probably experimented with drugs at some point in your life, or might still experiment with them.
The point is that we’ve all done bad things, but this doesn’t discredit how good of a person we are.
Campus Police Sgt. Michael Maines said he believes it’s all about respect, integrity, and honor. “A good person will do something for someone with no expectation, without getting anything,” he said.
Being a good person means giving people second chances. Or even three. It’s about letting go, and giving others the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
It means making sure your friend gets home safe from a party because they were too intoxicated to drive themselves. Never mind the fact that they promised you they would sober up before they got behind the wheel. And never mind the fact that they only live 15 minutes away. We all know a lot can happen in 15 minutes.
It’s about taking responsibility before it’s too late.
“To me, being a good person is being selfless and having the ability to help those in need,” said Jamie Garcia, a 20-year-old student majoring in biology.
It’s rolling down your window at a stoplight to give a homeless person a few dollars instead of pretending not to notice their presence. It’s giving them the benefit of the doubt, and convincing yourself that they spent that money to put food in their stomachs rather than buying another pack of cigarettes.
It’s knowing that a little generosity goes a long way.
Gustavo Basave, a Palomar student majoring in psychology thinks that giving a homeless person your spare change only makes you a good person to an extent. He believes that being good requires a lot of understanding and accepting different points of views.
“I understand that I am blessed to have enough to survive when somebody else doesn’t. With helping them out, I can make a difference,” Basave said.
Being a good person is all about how you treat other people.