Sep
Finding Good People
Back in the 1990s, we met a fellow Heathen who told us that his goal was to meet “good people.” He complained that the people he met eventually disappointed him. The man told us a few stories of incidents with these people. To hear him tell it, people took advantage of him. Of course, I sensed something else.
It did not take long to discover that our new acquaintance had some peculiar habits. For example, I worked from an office at home I those days. This fellow thought nothing of dropping in and sitting in the living room. He would sit there all day if he could. Once he arrived, he did not want to leave. The man thought that being a friend meant being allowed to intrude whenever he desired.
The man had another bad habit. His behavior and language could be quite crude. It got to the point where some folks were offended by him. His response was that he was just “being himself.”
I could wax eloquent on the man’s annoying faults. Suffice to say that we came to view him as a “pest” rather than a “friend.” Apparently, he knew he had worn out his welcome and went elsewhere in search of “good people.”
The man who sought “good people” was really looking for a place to hide from himself. He wanted the company of people who would indulge his intrusion and his inconsiderate behavior. I do not doubt that he met good people in his travels. I am also quite sure that he wore out his welcome with even the most patient of them.
The point is that like attracts like. Things that belong together tend to stay together. Things that are unlike each other tend to separate. If you want better, you have to be better.
The key to finding and keeping those good people is to become a good person yourself!
