One of the dumbest features in the Orlando Sentinel is the Ticked Off! column – and I confess I read it every day.
After I finish laughing at the absurd things that tick people off (and often also at the way those submissions are written), I read the “Flip Side,” which are usually reports of good things people have done.
A significant percentage of “Flip Side” submissions are from people thanking others for turning in lost valuables or for an unexpected kindness from a stranger, and frequently end with the phrase “you restored my faith in humanity.”
I see people doing the right thing all the time, and it hasn’t restored my faith in humanity – because I never lost my faith in the basic goodness of people. I share a lot of those stories in my book Words to Work By.
Yes, there are some absolute monsters out there, people who don’t deserve the title of human being and whose mere existence is an insult to the lowest form of life on our planet. And yes, there are people who aren’t necessarily evil but if they find the piece of jewelry you lost or the umbrella you left in the grocery store cart, they’ll keep it.
But my experience is that most people are good and honest. They do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do (that’s the definition of integrity) whether there’s something in it for them or not. They hold open doors, they tell the truth, they return things they find, they don’t take advantage of someone else’s mistake – they are decent folks who will leave their little corner of the world better for having lived.
My faith in humanity can’t be restored because I never lost it. And I don’t expect I ever will.
If you have a story about the essential goodness of people, please share it below.
Jacquelyn's latest book is Christian Business Almanac: The Ultimate Daily Guide for Kingdom-Driven Entrepreneurs and Leaders.
She is the author of the nonfiction books Simple Facts About Self-Publishing (Second Edition), Words to Work By: 31 devotions for the workplace based on the Book of Proverbs and Finding Joy in the Morning: You can make it through the night as well as the novel Choices (A Joyful Cup Story). With her husband, she is the co-creator of several coloring books for adults and the novelty My Book About series.
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