What does it mean to be a good person?
It means different things at different ages, .When you are young, you think being good is being nice— not offending anyone, saying yes. When you get to my age — 67, auditor, seen companies rise and fall — You know better. Being good is not about being nice. It is about being straight. 3 things, from what I’ve seen in behavioral patterns:
1. Do the work when no one is watching. That is goodness.
2. Carry other people’s burden without making noise. A good person doesn’t create problems for others. And when the system does that to you, you point it out not to shame, but to correct.
3. Tell the truth even when it is in plain sight and people will ridicule you.
“In Nigeria somethings are in plain sight but you will be ridiculed as a poor man complaining.” A good person says it anyway, but with tact, like a good person. “this is not cost-effective” — so truth is not lost to pride.
Seriously speaking I don’t think there is good or bad person. It is the relationship between two people that is good or bad. That is why one man’s devil is another man’s Angel. This is a summary of 2,000 years of philosophy in one sentence,
What I’m saying is relational ethics. The Yoruba call it _Iwa_ — character is not what you are in your house alone, it is how you show up between people. A man is not good alone on a mountain; he is good in how he treats his wife, his broker etc.
Then a man who steals from everyone equally has no bad character — he just has many bad relationships. But we know inside him something is bent. We may all remember the Robin hood story – stealing from the rich to help the poor. So perhaps it is both: Character is the seed, relationship is the soil. A good seed will still struggle in bad soil — even a good man will look like a devil to a person who benefits from his silence. But a bad seed cannot produce good fruit in any soil for long. Check his relationships — one after one will turn bad.
So we should not judge person alone. Judge the _between_ — how he handles the small trust, Very true.
Spiritually you can see the young ruler who asked Jesus what he needs to do to gain eternal life. Jesus told him to obey the commandments. He answered that he has been doing that since his childhood. Jesus didn’t refute but he said it remains one thing to be done. Sell all you have, give to the poor and follow me. The man of course went away sad. Would one say whether he is a good man or not. Jesus at one time rebuked his disciples that no one is good.
There are two different moments — and both prove the point:
1. The Rich Young Ruler — Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-23In Mark’s version — the most detailed: And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” …You know the commandments… And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” _ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” _ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. _
2. The rebuke — “no one is good”:That is the same conversation! Jesus’ first reply to being called “Good Teacher” — Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19, Matthew 19:17 — “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.“So was the young ruler good? By _relationship_ — to the law, to society — yes. He kept commandments since childhood. By _attachment — to his wealth — he failed the one test that mattered. That is exactly my philosophy, his goodness was real in one relationship (man-to-law), but bad in another (man-to-wealth, man-to-God). Jesus did not say he was a bad man. He said “You lack one thing.”We all lack one thing. At that point we all realized that his possession had him😂Not he had possession — possession had him. The young ruler could not sell because he was not the owner. He was the owned.That is why Jesus loved him before telling him, Mark says “Jesus, looking at him, loved him”. He did not condemn him. He saw a man tied up. Freedom is when you can hold it lightly.
I am Adeyinka Ogunrombi, FCA — 34 years in public sector finance. I offer consultancy and academic services. My active business: http://Topupandgetreward.com — airtime, data and rewards. WhatsApp message only: +2348054048128
