Are We All Good Inside?
Are we all good inside? Buddhist thought says yes. They believe that underneath all of our fears, anger, regret, shame and jealousy, there is the "diamond mind" which is pure and if you can silence all of the noise, you will find goodness. The Dali Lama says in How to Expand Love:
Is it possible to get rid of problematic emotions completely, or is it possible only to suppress them? According to basic Buddhist insight, the mind is essentially luminous and knowing. Therefore emotional problems do not reside in the mind’s essence, such counterproductive attitudes are temporary and superficial, and can be removed. If distressing emotions such as anger were in the very nature of the mind, then from its inception the mind would always have to be angry. Obviously, this is not so. Only under certain circumstances do we become angry and when those circumstances are not present, anger is not present either. (p. 15-16)
Psychologist Carl Rogers also believed something similar (note: the article in the link is excellent). That every creature strives to do what is good for them (eg. babies knowing what food they need) but it is our social structures and conditions that are imposed on ourselves that limit us:
The entire theory is built on a single “force of life” he calls the actualizing tendency. It can be defined as the built-in motivation present in every life-form to develop its potentials to the fullest extent possible. We’re not just talking about survival: Rogers believes that all creatures strive to make the very best of their existence. If they fail to do so, it is not for a lack of desire.
I have been a fan of Rogers for over a decade and have recently become interested in Buddhism. But, sometimes seeing people for the best that they are is misleading. The reason? It doesn’t always help you interact with the real world. In Reveille For Radicals Saul Alinsky quotes an old community leader discussing the difference between an effective organizer and an ineffective one:
There was another young feller who came to this town about thirty of more years ago. He tried to sell me just about the same bill of goods that you are giving me. His name was – let me see – it was – oh, yes, a feller by the name of Lincoln Steffens. I turned him down, but I’m gonna play ball with you and I’ll tell you why. This feller, Lincoln Steffens, figured that every man was real good and all you had to do was give him a chance to be better. But you, you young man you believe every man and woman has got a little bit of larceny in their hearts and you’re using that larceny to make them better in spite of themselves and you’re damn right! Go ahead! (p. 128)
I think that this is the best characterization of people. I really think that to see people as their conflicted selves is a better, and probably more compassionate way of seeing them. So – perhaps two out of three of these quotes are not at odds. Because Buddhists see the "diamond mind" as an ideal, rather than the norm. So – it is really Roger’s "fully functioning person" that I disagree with. I think that even a person that grows up and lives in ideal circumstances… would still have some larceny in them 
.
The editions I am referring to are in the links: How to Expand Love by the Dali Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins and Reveille for Radicals by Saul Alinsky.
Depends on what you mean by ‘good’.
I agree with your end comment. For me the question has always been answered by watching myself and my family, friends and humanity in general. What do I see? I see every person having in them both good and bad. Christianity teaches we have original sin and we are inclined to be bad because of it. Buddhism teaches somewhat the opposite, as you mentioned above. But neither one seems to reflect the reality that I see. And that reality says we are both.
I’m not sure if I agree with the comment from T on Christianity. With all respect, my belief is that God so loved us that he created us in his image, allowing us free will and sent His son to spread a message of goodness, love, respect, patience, forgiveness, etc. I don’t think Christ ever said we’re inclined to be bad. Unfortunately, over time His words have been twisted and used for hate rather than love. People state they are doing things in His name, but they are not following his teachings even closely.
Personally, I struggle to recognize good in everyone. Perhaps it’s a defense from being hurt in the past.
I read a book last year called “Psycopaths in Suits” and it was a little scary. There are psychopaths among us that lack the empathy of human beings.
The only reason why psycopaths don’t do wrong is because of the possible negative impact on themselves, not others. They have no respect or love for others… they are incapable of it. Isn’t that frightening?
Hi Douglas,
My statement regarding Christianity was in reference to the theology and doctrine of the church, which does emphasize that we are born into sin and want to do bad. We are redeemed by Jesus’ blood and through him have a way to be good again. I think it is a load of hogwash, but it is the doctrine of the church. I agree that it is not what you hear Jesus teaching however. He did teach love, compassion, mercy, kindness, and he did teach we should pursue freedom from dead religious rituals. Unfortunately the church long ago decided that the important thing to emphasize about Jesus as his divinity, his giving of the free ticket to heaven, instead of his humanity and his giving lessons on how to have heaven here on earth. I wish it were otherwise but history readily shows where the focus has been for 2,000 years.
Recognizing the good in everyone is a choice we make. We make a decision to see what they do in terms of bad motives or good, for example. Being wary and having a method by which to test people to see if they are trustworthy and are ‘good’ is not a bad thing in itself. What is bad is when you apply ‘bad’ to someone when there is no need for wariness or testing.
Sometimes what it takes is a deliberate thought process, thinking through what might be the good motivation in what a person just did instead of assuming a bad motivation. In the end it is about assuming the best of people and giving people the benefit of the doubt. And where do we end up if we practice that? We end back at the real teachings of Jesus concerning love, forgiveness, joy, compassion, giving and gratitude, a good place to be in my book. Happy ‘anyone can be resurrected if their goodness stays in your heart’ day.
Okay – let’s not start a holy-war or anything! Granted – Canada is a much less religeous country than the US, but I used to go to church and have studied it. I have heard Christians sound a lot like what Marty describes and those a lot like how Doug sounds. There isn’t only one way of thinking of them – both kinds exist – plus many more kinds as well.