J.K. Rowling once wrote, “ it is our choices that shows us what we are, not our abilities.” In this life, we have to make countless choices. Most of the decisions we make are between good and bad, whichever one you choose determines which you are. So does that mean we are our choices? That who we are isn’t anything more then what we do? In a quote derived from the ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism, Marcus Aurelius writes, “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” Stoics believed that your soul is the rational part of your mind, the part, more importantly, that adds value judgment to things, whether it is bad or harmful. So when Marcus says,” your soul is dyed with the colors of your thoughts,” I believe that he means when you provide a good, genuine thought into your mind, it betters or ‘colors’ your soul; inversely, the same can be said of a bad, ingenuine thoughts provided into your mind. So this quote left me with this inner conflict in my way of thinking which can be put into the three following questions: What is the distinguishing factor between good and bad people? Is there a deeper thing that defines us? Or are all we are what we do?
Human nature has never been a simple concept, and what defines a person, is even more complex. So is it not too simple for us to categorize people into either good or bad? I feel like its not giving enough credit to humans, regardless, it’s what our society does. Let’s think of it in two aspects a person is defined by, our innate qualities or instincts and the things we do. In a quote from the great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald writes, “ a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out equally at birth,” supporting the idea that our innate abilities, and instincts, define us. However, one can be born with a good person seed but turn into a perpetrator. So what influence does the seed, one is born with have in determining whether the person is good or bad? Whichever side you agree with, they both, dye the soul’ in a sense, which still leads me to question, regardless. What level subjects a person to be categorized into a good or bad person?
Is there a deep down is people’s soul? I think there is, in a sense of interests, feelings, and mental state. However, I feel as if saying that there is a deeper thing that makes us the way we are, is easy scapegoat way of dealing with things then we do something bad. For example, if someone does a bad thing, they might use the excuse that deep down, they are a good person which makes it all okay, or that deep down they are just a bad person, which makes them not be able to control their actions. We are all born with a deeper desire in us to be go or bad, but there comes a time when that deeper desire, isn’t relavent when we make bad choices. In a article for pyschology today, the text reads the following: When you feel deep down like a bad soldier — or simply not like a good person — you’re more likely to act this way, to be casually snippy, self-indulgent, selfish, or hurtful. On the other hand, when you feel your own natural goodness, you are more likely to act in good ways. (Rick Hanson, who are you deep down, Psychology Today, PsychologyToday.com) This text suggests that there is in fact a deep down, and it does affect actions. SO if that is the as, can our souls be colored to change, or is change not possible?
What kind of affect do actions have on what a person is? Let’s eliminate the idea of good and bad people, and say that we are just people, who do good things sometimes, and bad tings some other times. This leaves so much more freedom as to what defines us. For example, when I am in a public place, and I see people stare and point at my skin, I don’t instantly think that they are a rude person, I just think that they are exhibiting some rude behavior. If we take the central quotes “ your soul is dyed with the colors of your thoughts,” and instead conclude that your soul is covered with the colors of your actions, it seems more logical. The categorization of a good or bad person is what can negatively affect our psychology and that changes what we are. I believe that what humans are, are people, who make either good or bad choices. By society trying to judge and put a label on what we our, is making us act in that way. Like F. Scot Fitzgerald wrote, “Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope.”
There are no good guys, and on the fortunate contrary, there are no bad guys, we are all just people. At the beginning of this essay, I had three lingering questions from Marcus’s quote, but while I wrote this essay I have come to my conclusion on what I perceive the answers to be. I hope one can take away a sense of freedom, in that they get to choose moment to moment who they want to be and a new perspective on how at roll our actions have in our identity. Each and everyday, you get to make these decisions that are either good or bad, there is no good or bad forcing you to do so. To me, there are no categorizes, there is just one question to be asked. Are you happy with yourself?
