There Are No Bad Guys?

Every story at least 2 sides; and somewhere in between or around those sides is a semblance of truth. Each side's story is its own truth.  Rarely (at least as far as I can see), does either side see its story as wrong or bad. Certainly, neither side, in their mind, is lying.  The way I see it, no one views themselves as the bad guy.

That's not to say that people don't do bad things.  It's definitely not to say that people don't do stupid things.  But generally (and I think you'll find that this post is filled with generalizations), I think that people do or think things not because they are bad.  Certainly the person cast in the "villain" role rarely sees him or herself as the bad guy.  Is there anyone out there who woke up one morning and thought/said, "Today I'm going to start being the bad guy?"  Or even on the flip side, did anyone ever wake up and think "I'm going to turn over a new leaf and be a completely good person?"

 Call me naive (and I freely admit that I probably am), but I think people are people.  In general (there's that word again), they do things that they are think are right.  They have views that they think are right or good. Maybe you think they are wrong.  Maybe they are wrong (or bad), but it is my experience that people don't do things to because they want to be bad or wrong.  They tend to do what they think is best for themselves, for their families, and their part of the world.  In the larger scale of things, it may NOT be what's best. It may be downright wrong or even bad, but that is not the heart of the matter.   In my mind, (most) people are not bad; they are just trying to do what's best for their situation.  Just because they don't do or think what you would doesn't make them "bad guys."  Different, but not bad.

 While  no one knows what is going on in someone's mind, it seems to me that as a whole, we are all just trying to do our best and what's right.  We try to be good parents and to be good children.  We try to be good spouses and to be good friends.  But we are human and we ALL screw up some time.  We all make "bad" decisions.  We all make mistakes.  

 Remember that the next time you're ready to label someone a "bad guy."  What you see as "bad" is probably not "bad" to them.  As a race we are not that black and white...life and its stories are shades of gray.



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