“There are only two races: The decent and the indecent.” ~Viktor Frankl (paraphrased)
When it seems like everyone is against you, stabbing you in the back, kicking you while you’re down, betraying your trust, sabotaging your efforts, undermining, backbiting and poking you in the eye with a stick, don’t lose hope.
Remember, most people are decent human beings. Most people don’t steal you blind. Most don’t cheat. Most don’t back-stab. Most people don’t poke sticks in eyes. It may seem like it in the darkest hour of your pain or betrayal. But most people are kind and thoughtful and loving and good. Remember that.
Why does it seem like indecency and inhumanity has run so rampant? It’s due to what I call the Front Page Syndrome. When the news covers a riot, it looks like the city has gone mad.
But that’s only because most of the city is at home, taking care of babies, doing homework, watching TV, talking, dreaming, cleaning, working, fixing and playing together. They are paying for their groceries and singing in church choirs. They are far removed from the news cameras. The few may look like the many, but most are decent people, choosing not to riot, loot, destroy or hurt others.
So when it feels like the world has gone mad, that foxes are guarding life’s hen houses and wolves are hiding in sheep’s clothing everywhere, just remember that human decency, moral responsibility, honesty and good parenting rarely make the headlines. But such people are the rule, not the exception.
And that should be encouraging.
I think we all have been on the receiving end of betrayal, backbiting, and experiencing people sabotaging our efforts Ken. And at that particular moment it certainly doesn’t feel good does it? To me it feels like someone pulled the “plug” on my positive vibes leaving me feeling “powerless” and defeated.
And what helps me to “reconnect” to my inner spirit and get back in touch with the Divine…is what you stated here: I remind myself that not all people or bad or out to get me or society…there are some descent people out there. In my line of work I get to meet many of them everyday. And this renews me and puts a smile on my face. This article really speaks to my soul, because I like the positive vibes within your message.
Thank-you for this article Ken. Have a beautiful day.
Thank you so much, Shalanda! I like that imagery of pulling a plug on our positive vibes. So true. And no, it doesn’t feel good at all. But like you say, there are so many people out there changing the world for good. So many parents loving their children. So many workers who never take money from the cash register and never cheat on their spouses and do what they can to make the world a little better. When we can get our thoughts to move in that direction, recognizing the good that shines so brightly in the world from so many good people, it does act like a spiritual jump-start.
I’m curious, by the way, Shalanda. What do you do that puts you in contact with so many decent people everyday?
Hi Ken,
I am very passionate about health and wellness so I partnered up with a company called Melaleuca, which allows me to help families make healthier choices in their lifestyle and living environment.
I am also a Mary Kay Consultant and I specialize in skin-care and glamour. And through my business I get to meet many lovely woman and empower them. At times I do makeovers, which is a real treat and you should just see their confidence soar afterwards Ken. (I literally have to pry my mirror out of their hands) I love seeing these kind of transformations take place from the inside out. When a woman looks good, she feels good. ; )
-Shalanda Miranda
“just remember that human decency, moral responsibility, honesty and good parenting rarely make the headlines”
It’s true. That’s why some people suggest that we stop watching the news and instead do something more worthwhile with our times. It’s easy to exaggerate the evilness of mankind and overlook our virtues. Although, as decent as mankind can be, I believe that most people are action-averse and rarely have a strong purpose in life. That’s also what I think as ‘not decent’; not decent to themselves that is.
You make a good point here, Wan. As Edmund Burke famously said, “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” And I do agree that most people (it seems) live on autopilot, doing what they’ve always done, rarely changing course for higher ground, pursuing a sense of personal purpose. I’m not totally convinced this is true (perhaps most people’s purposes are simply different and less noticeable than mine?).
Still, the more of us that find or discover or create a greater sense of purpose and meaning certainly live more fulfilling lives and are therefore more decent people to ourselves, as you so insightfully remind us.
“perhaps most people’s purposes are simply different and less noticeable than mine?”
I forgot to emphasize the word ‘strong’. Many people have a purpose, but it’s rarely a strong one. Most of these purposes are ones that are ‘inherited’ either from their parents, community, and education while they were a child. A purpose is easy to find but a strong one is hard.
I, myself, still have problems searching for my own strong purpose because I’m still lacking in experiences, knowledge, and deep relationships. That’s why it’s easier for me to lose focus on what I need to do compared to my wiser peers.
But somehow I have the thought that it’s also not a bad thing if we want to have no purpose in life. That’s only possible if we have think it through on why we need a purpose in the first place.
To decide to live life without a purpose, for me that is, is better compared to living on autopilot and not choose at all.
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Wonderful article, thank you
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After a lot of frustration trying to find an apartment in a region where scams are as common as genuine apartments in our price range, today we checked out a place we worried might be a fraud only to find that the man renting it seemed to be simply a decent bloke who wouldn’t charge more than *he* felt was fair, even though it was a bit below market. It rang true, because I’m an artist and price my own works that way.
So I felt better about the world in general (and about my future housing), and searched the phrase “people are decent”– because I truly believe that is still the case more often than not and wanted to share a little of that feeling.
Congratulations, Samantha! What an awesome experience you had, and so reconfirming of humanity’s decency. Thank you so much for sharing your experience here with us. Those moments are important when things are looking otherwise very dark and gloomy. We all wish you the best in 2017 as you act as a light to the world you find yourself in.
I agree with the quote and love your blog. Maybe you should depict different races other than than the depicted race which could make that group of people by omission of any other race feel to be the indecent.