Guest end3 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 It's a bit cold here where I am located. In the morning I typically put on one of the t-shirts I have been given from donating blood under another outer shirt. Each time you donate, the blood center typically gives a t-shirt to the donor. I think I am nearing the four gallon club over the years....several t's to my name. Was just thinking of the lives that have potentially benefitted from the blood as well....or at least I am hoping. The question I have for argument's sake is, does this make me a good person? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenstar Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Do you do it to help people? Then it doesn't make you a bad person. Being a 'good' person is a bit subjective. My definition is am I Honest? Respectful? Empathetic? Are YOU happy with you? That's what it comes down to really… My definition of a 'good person' is kind and honest, tempered with enlightened self-interest. (you can't help anyone else if you are a mess.. so loving oneself enough to care about your self is paramount) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thereisnoperfect Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago: 1918-1956 One of the big problems humans have is in thinking that there are "good people" and "bad people." Actions can be good or evil. People are always both. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdelsolray Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 It's a bit cold here where I am located. In the morning I typically put on one of the t-shirts I have been given from donating blood under another outer shirt. Each time you donate, the blood center typically gives a t-shirt to the donor. I think I am nearing the four gallon club over the years....several t's to my name. Was just thinking of the lives that have potentially benefitted from the blood as well....or at least I am hoping. The question I have for argument's sake is, does this make me a good person? I consider giving blood to be a good action. I don't know if that makes you (or me if I were to give blood) a good person. It certainly makes you a better person for doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Good on you End! The people who benefit from your gift will never know but you will know what you did. Edit: I don't know about good person vs. bad person. I think we all do good and bad things. it's best to minimize the bad. Doing good can be personally rewarding. I hope you feel good about donating blood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Each time you have donated, you have done a good deed which helped someone you will never know. Such good deeds do not necessarily prove that the person is a good person, but it certainly suggests it. Good job and I am sure the recipients of your generosity have appreciated your donation, though not you personally since you will forever remain anonymous to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Does it make you a good person, End? I think so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pratt Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 i benefitted from blood donors for 4 packs of blood (dunno who much per pack though) during my surgery 5 years ago. you have done good in blood donation..... thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted February 4, 2014 Super Moderator Share Posted February 4, 2014 Maybe he's just too cheap to spend money on t-shirts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted February 4, 2014 Moderator Share Posted February 4, 2014 Does possibly saving a life make you a good person.....I should think so Mr. end!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest end3 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Didn't mean to make this a "way to go End" thread....but really appreciate the thoughts. Thank y'all. I had some thoughts along the line of "what is a person" rather than just "what is a body". When my brain clears, if ever, maybe the argument will return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 My grandmother who passed away a few years ago (who was a devout christian most of her life) donated blood regularly, until she had to go to the hospital to receive blood. She said they charged her $100. for a bag of blood after all her donations, so she never donated blood again. I would not call her a good or bad person for any of it, but rather someone who made an emotionally charged decision about it. I would have done the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest end3 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I think I was thinking along the lines of good being stand alone or defined independently of the physical. For example I can be a person, and I can manifest "good". This seems different to me that being a good person. Why do we say good person or bad person, why not he's a person that can produce good or bad. This, to me gives some light to the existence of good and bad. One of you rational people put this back into perspective for me please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Didn't mean to make this a "way to go End" thread....but really appreciate the thoughts. Thank y'all. Well you didn't cure cancer. But giving blood is one thing most people can do to make the world a better place. It's not just a "way to go End" thread but it's a good example to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryG Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I think I was thinking along the lines of good being stand alone or defined independently of the physical. For example I can be a person, and I can manifest "good". This seems different to me that being a good person. Why do we say good person or bad person, why not he's a person that can produce good or bad. This, to me gives some light to the existence of good and bad. I expect most people would agree with that -- at least to a point. Nobody is pure good or pure bad; we're just humans. But certainly most of us go about our daily lives in ways that are "good" (or at least neutral) rather than "bad." We take care of our kids, are helpful to our neighbors, and fulfill our commitments, etc. Our "bad" is pretty petty -- bad moods, small slights, acts of omission. But it's also possible to do something so bad it negates all the good. The traitorous Norwegian leader Vidkun Quisling was a respected diplomat and thinker before he invited Hitler to invade his country and ended up getting his name entered in the dictionary as a synonym for a particular, dreadful evil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidkun_Quisling It's also possible to do something so good it negates all the petty bad. Albert Schweitzer was no doubt as flawed as any human being, but history applauds him for his goodness, and probably rightly so. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer (OTOH, history is also busily applauding Mother Teresa, whose "good" was mostly a PR campaign; so who knows?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator TheRedneckProfessor Posted February 4, 2014 Super Moderator Share Posted February 4, 2014 I think you should give all of those shirts to homeless people; that would make you a good person. Just kidding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrNo Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 The question assumes that people can be labeled as "good" or "bad." This is a questionable assumption, but let's say for the sake of argument that you can do that. How do you determine whether anyone is good or bad? From a fundamentalist Christian perspective, we're all bad unless God is in our hearts. And if that's the case, your actions don't really matter. You could be a mass murderer but then find God the day before you die and be considered a "good" person. This hardly seems fair, but according to the parable of the workers in the vineyard, God is not interested in "fair." So to answer your question from a fundamentalist worldview, I would say it doesn't matter how much blood you donate. Did you invite Jesus in your heart? That's all that matters. But of course, most of us don't subscribe to that worldview. Heck, most of us probably don't think it's even possible to label people as good or bad. But some people might do so based on the accumulation of "good" and "bad" acts over the course of your life. In which case, the answer to your question would be: I don't know. Tell me more about the kind of life you have lived overall. Trying to determine whether or not you are a good or bad person from this one anecdote is like trying to determine the picture on a puzzle from looking at one piece. However, now we are getting even further into the philosophical quagmire. What makes an action good or bad? Most of us would agree that giving money to someone in need is a pretty good thing. But what if I stole that money first? Wouldn't it have been better to return that money to its rightful owner? But what if the rightful owner is a greedy corporate CEO? Then is it OK? What if my motivations for giving it to the poor are to impress a girl I like? So to sum up and repeat what everyone else has basically said, it's not a black or white issue. There are many shades of gray here. EDIT: I a word Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moanareina Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I don't like when people get divided in good and bad. And to judge someone good or bad according to what he does is misleading. Hitler did good things. Yes. People worshiped him as a good person... To say this is a good person and this is a bad one also makes people feel bad about themselves. Also it goes into the same thinking of someone being a more delighted christian because he spends more time in the word and praying...and has all those great stories of what he experienced with the lord etc. It is competition thinking. It will not bring people to become better people but to be better at competing. Thats a good thing when it comes to sports or business...but not really when it comes to people and relationship. If you think you are a good person because you donate blood you automatically judge someone who does not donate blood as a bad person. I think a lot of judgmental thinking comes from that mindset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest end3 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Going to go out on a limb here. If good in independent of person I would surmise there could be a relationship with good. Also, good would be defined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator TheRedneckProfessor Posted February 4, 2014 Super Moderator Share Posted February 4, 2014 Going to go out on a limb here. If good in independent of person I would surmise there could be a relationship with good. Also, good would be defined. I don't know, End3. The way I see it, there is nothing which is inherently good or bad, people included. We assign these terms to people, places, things, and events based on our interaction with them in light of the moral, social, and philosophical ideas instilled in us largely by factors beyond our control. Additionally, it is all relative. One person's "good" might be another person's "bad" and a third person's "indifferent". The day my son was born was a "good" day; but I'm sure someone was severely injured in a car accident during that same span of time. Thus, I don't see it possible to have a relationship with "good" since it doesn't exist beyond our perceptions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 It's a bit cold here where I am located. In the morning I typically put on one of the t-shirts I have been given from donating blood under another outer shirt. Each time you donate, the blood center typically gives a t-shirt to the donor. I think I am nearing the four gallon club over the years....several t's to my name. Was just thinking of the lives that have potentially benefitted from the blood as well....or at least I am hoping. The question I have for argument's sake is, does this make me a good person? Yes, it does. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryG Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Going to go out on a limb here. If good in independent of person I would surmise there could be a relationship with good. Also, good would be defined. How can there be a "relationship with good" when "good" is not a thing that exists outside our individual actions and consequences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest end3 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Going to go out on a limb here. If good in independent of person I would surmise there could be a relationship with good. Also, good would be defined.I don't know, End3. The way I see it, there is nothing which is inherently good or bad, people included. We assign these terms to people, places, things, and events based on our interaction with them in light of the moral, social, and philosophical ideas instilled in us largely by factors beyond our control. Additionally, it is all relative. One person's "good" might be another person's "bad" and a third person's "indifferent". The day my son was born was a "good" day; but I'm sure someone was severely injured in a car accident during that same span of time. Thus, I don't see it possible to have a relationship with "good" since it doesn't exist beyond our perceptions. Well, there is a lot to say about this comment, but I have an appointment here in a bit. I shall return. Just a parting thought. If we are inherently neutral, then doesn't this give us even more room for a relationship with good or bad.....and kind of opens the question to predestination The Bible speaks towards a heavenly battle and what if our perceptions are just that?....that we have concluded based on our perceptions? I will be back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryG Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Going to go out on a limb here. If good in independent of person I would surmise there could be a relationship with good. Also, good would be defined.I don't know, End3. The way I see it, there is nothing which is inherently good or bad, people included. We assign these terms to people, places, things, and events based on our interaction with them in light of the moral, social, and philosophical ideas instilled in us largely by factors beyond our control. Additionally, it is all relative. One person's "good" might be another person's "bad" and a third person's "indifferent". The day my son was born was a "good" day; but I'm sure someone was severely injured in a car accident during that same span of time. Thus, I don't see it possible to have a relationship with "good" since it doesn't exist beyond our perceptions. Well, there is a lot to say about this comment, but I have an appointment here in a bit. I shall return. Just a parting thought. If we are inherently neutral, then doesn't this give us even more room for a relationship with good or bad.....and kind of opens the question to predestination The Bible speaks towards a heavenly battle and what if our perceptions are just that?....that we have concluded based on our perceptions? I will be back. I'll look forward to what you have to say when you return, End3. But you'll really need to define how a "relationship with good" is even possible. It's sort of like having a "relationship with thinking" or a "relationship with being reliable." Also, I don't believe we're inherently neutral. Just inherently human. Which IMHO is mostly good-to-neutral. (But that's a human value judgement, of course. Flies being swatted or pigs in a slaughterhouse might think we're the worst monsters imaginable.) As to the bible ... that book assumes we're all worthless -- less than sacks of shit (which can at least be used for fertilizer). It assumes the very, very worst possible of every human being who ever lived or ever will. So ... nope, not buying it. That does not fit with my own observations, and from the quick bit you've written so far, the bible's entirely negative view of humans doesn't fit with any possible neutrality. Sure, it tells us if we don't pick the right side in some heavenly battle, we're doooooomed. But it makes the a priori assumption that we're all as eeeeeeeevil as it gets. Neutrality? That ain't in the bible, no way nohow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 The last time I donated blood, a few weeks ago, they informed me that this was my 81st blood donation! I AM AN AWESOME PERSON!!!!! Donating blood is a very good thing because blood is something that still cannot be duplicated. I don't donate blood to be good. I donate blood because I kind of hope that if I ever need blood, that somebody else bothered to donate. I donate blood because it is nice thinking I have tangibly helped someone survive, and I figure after 81 donations (and they split each pint into three components, so each pint can help three individual people) I have actually helped some real people. I donate blood because they give me a mini-physical each time and it's free (they take blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and keep check on my cholesterol). I donate blood because they always have super-good cookies, used to be Archway and now they make fresh-baked ones! Most things about hospitals bother me, but charging for blood doesn't. Yes, I give it away free (well, they pay me in cookies! and sometimes t-shirts or other things), but they had to pay the people at the blood bank, pay rent and utilities at the blood bank, then they had to pay someone (and buy trucks) to gather those donations and take them to hospitals, then the hospitals have to carefully and safely store the blood, and they had to pay everybody at the hospital to get that bag of blood INTO your body. I voluntarily give that blood (well, I do expect cookies), but they did not GET that blood for free, so of course they can't just hand it out for free at the hospital. And remember my first point: human blood still cannot be duplicated, so if you get a transfusion at a hospital then someone took their time to donate that blood for you, and many people helped GET that donated blood to your body. I wouldn't confuse any of the above with labeling me a "good" person. I did a good act, an unselfish act, and if I ever need blood then I hope someone else did the same nice act for me. "When I'm good, I'm very good. And when I'm bad, I'm better!" -- Mae West 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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