What is Good?

When a person describes something, the adjective they use means the same thing whenever that adjective is used. A blue car has something in common a blue shirt. They both are blue. A hairy dog has something in common with a hairy man. Both describe the skin texture of the object. Thus making a statement about the object.

However, when you use the word good, what are you really saying? When I say " Vanilla ice cream is good," I am not talking about the vanilla ice cream at all, only my feelings toward the ice cream. Unlike the other adjectives, good does not describe the object. A good game, a good burger, a good dog, a good person. What do they have in common?

So what exactly does it mean to be good? What is good? Aristotle said that something is good when it successfully hits the target for which it was intended. A good basketball shot is one the makes it in the hoop for which it is intended. A good car runs the way it was intended. When this idea is used for people however, it falls a little short. What is the intended target for a person? What makes a good person? How do we know when a person has missed that target? How can we tell the difference between a person who hits the bullseye and a person who doesn't? I ask many questions for a reason, I want you to answer them. What is your basis for being a good person and having a good life? Are you hitting that bullseye?

Democracy Killed Respect

In my last post, I talked on the topic of how people have the need to lift others or look to people who are more "superior" to them for guidance. Now I would like to look at it from the other angle, how people no longer respect the people above them. The American Revolution did so much more than produce a new country, but also a new society. The former hierarchy system was thrown away and now every one was created equal. Monarchy was replaced by democracy.

That background information brings me to the point of this post. If all men are created equal, why does it matter if what prefix is before your name? Why does it matter if the the prefix Dr. or the word President is placed before a name, if all men are created equal why are they so different?

I was having a talk with a professor of mine, lets call him Dr. John Doe for purposes of this post. He was telling me how he has slowly watched the respect of his doctorate slide downhill. He used to be respected and everyone called him Dr. Doe. As time passed, soon emails lost there appropriate heading in regards to his name.Emails became Mr. Doe, just Doe, or even just plain John, totally disregarding his accomplishment of receiving a doctorate.

A better example of this can be seen in the history of presidency of the United States. When the presidency began in the 1789, it was a much revered position. Throughout history the president remained a much respected person. As for the current situation, it does not talk long to notice that news channels love tearing apart and disrespecting the president. Take JFK for instance, many of the news corporations at that time knew of his looseness with women, but it was never spoken about because it would lower the image of the president. Now, anything the president does is blasted across the headlines.

This post was not intended to say that it should not matter who you are, all men are equal and everyone gets to have a voice. Rather my intention was to show that possibly American society has gone too far. Yes all men are equal, but the accomplishments of humans needs to recognized. I do not have a doctorate, but my professor does. He has reached a goal that I have not and I should show respect for that. Certain accomplishments need to be respected and those men and women need to be treated will respect when they are addressed.

Icons of Society

Humans always have a tendency to exalt certain members of society. As a whole people lift up and almost worship others. Celebrities are a perfect example of this. These certain people are looked at in a different light and seen as more than just us normal people.

Another prime examples of this is seen in the founding fathers of America. They more than anyone else is society have been exalted. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and others who framed the country are closed to worshiped in America. They seemed all as men who have been glorified to deity.

When we look at the true lives of celebrities, they are just like us. I remember one day flipping through a tabloid in a dentist office when I cam across a section that was title "The Celebrities Are Just Like Us!" This section has pictures of celebrities who do everyday things like normal people- shopping, picking up dry cleaning, taking their car to the mechanic. Also going back to the example of the founding fathers, they were very much human. Almost all of them had lives that have been kept secret from the textbooks. Slave possession, marrying for money, and adultery- just to name a few- always are failed to be mentioned when a description of the founding fathers are told.

Celebrities and founding father are only two examples, there are many more.Why does society do this? These people are obviously just the same as everyone else, so why are they lifted up? What is it inside of people that compels people to create icons out of other people? Could it possibly be because humans as a whole do not feel adequate enough so the have to look to other who have been exalted for guidance and inspiration. People do not think they are good enough so they choose certain people to idolize so they can get through life. They have found perfection in these people so they can deal with there imperfections. Please tell me what you think, give me your opinions.