do you have faith that others will usually do the right thing?

Question

for example:
...that a judge and jury will be fair?
...that that semi will stop for the red light as you cross the street? (yes it WILL!)
...that political and religious leaders have the best interests of their followers truly at heart?
...that hard work will eventually be recognized and rewarded?
...that man is good?




are you usually right? have you ever been proven wrong?

Answer 1

faith implies an all-out trust, and I can't put that trust in the masses... I do have hope though
for example:
...I hope that a judge and jury will be fair... but if they wrongly convict me or someone I know then I will do all that I can to overturn their judgement.
... I hope that the semi will stop, but I don't cross the street without checking first.
... I hope the leaders I vote for will work towards a common goal, but I don't stop paying attention to them once they are in office.
... I hope that hard work is recognized and rewarded, but I do what I can to draw attention to it if it goes unnoticed.
... I have hope that any man I meet is a good man, but I avoid certain places because of their bad reputation so that I have a smaller chance of meeting someone who will destroy that hope.

Answer 2

Well, I tend to have a cynical, negative & distrustful nature much of the time. I expect the worst of people. I always keep my doors locked. I'm cautious with strangers. I suppose the environment that I've been in made it necessary to be suspicious. But that being said I do think that the majority of people are basically good. Everyone is capable of evil to some degree but it's only a small minority that do great evil (committing crimes etc) to hurt others.

Of the examples you've mentioned: yes I expect most judges & juries to be fair though some are corrupt. Everyone has their own biases & ideas. No one can ever be completely impartial.
A semi will stop for the red light (unless the driver is impaired which is possible, or he's a psycho killer which is a very limited possibility).
I tend to distrust most political leaders (& lawyers & salesmen) because they have a reputation for deceit and following their own interests, rather than the best interests of the people. It's hard to trust anyone who's driven by money or power. Some religious leaders may be corrupt but they are the rarity, most of them are hopefully interested in serving God.
Hard work often goes unrecognized, unappreciated & unrewarded but hopefully it does get rewarded at some point if only in the afterlife.

Man is basically good but has a capacity for evil.

I am usually right. I've rarely been proven wrong.

Answer 3

Not so much. Actually, I think that people will generally be bad unless it pays (generally in the short run) to be good.

Thus, the judge and jury may condemn the innocent man simply because they want to get the case over with. The semi will probably stop at the light for fear of being hit by another car or pulled over by the police. The leaders will likely do what is in their best interests; that is, whatever conforms to their values. Hard work may or may not be rewarded. Man is pathetic; I can't argue that he's good. If he were, there would be no explanation for the sad state we're in now.

I've definitely been proven wrong... to say otherwise would be a lie.

God bless.

Answer 4

I feel like this is a daily struggle for me. I have ALWAYS been the person to trust everyone, to assume that everyone is like me and likes to follow the rules and do good. Now that I am a teacher, I find myself giving people the benefit of the doubt only to be let down time and again. I struggle with it because I border on having faith in people to do the right thing and on feeling a complete lack of trust. I've gotten either hot or cold on the matter. It's not even so much with my students- kids are much more innocent and easier to understand and persuade. It's the adults I deal with on a daily basis that cause this weird internal struggle for me. So to answer your last question, I've definitely been proved wrong....in both trusting people when I shouldn't have, and in not having faith in people when I should have.

Answer 5

It is only fair that you expect all that you come across to be in shades of grey - neither all white nor all black. You yourself aren't all white - are you?
So hope for the best and prepare for the worst when you cross the street or beleive in relegious leaders or put in your best into your work.
As for the jury and judge - they themselves do not claim to be always fair. That's why there is the right to appeal.

Answer 6

Not really. I have faith that people will follow what society expects them to do as long as someone is watching. If no one is watching, or a person can get away with something, all bets are off. I work with idiots every day that "do the wrong thing", "make the wrong decisions" and "hire morons".

Answer 7

Yes, I usually have faith that other people will do the right thing, that they are as loyal and honest as I am. I have had disappointments, but I don't want to change my view. Except for politicians, I think that everyone has good intentions until they demonstrate to me the contrary.

Answer 8

All of the above situations except for the one about political and religious leaders having everyone's best interests at heart--bull hockey, they do.....look around you! Hello?

Answer 9

NO. I RAN OUT OF THAT KINDA FAITH A LONG TIME AGO. THE ONLY PERSON THAT I CAN COUNT ON TO DO THE RIGHT THING IS ME. AND ALTHOUGH I AM USUALLY RIGHT, I HAVE BEEN PROVEN WRONG BEFORE AND HAVE DONE THE WRONG THING A TIME OR TWO IN MY LIFE.

Answer 10

Do the right thing? No, although I do believe most people are good but I also believe that life is not fair so doing the right thing sometimes has nothing to do with it.