The identity, character or essential qualities of any person or thing." (Lexico Publishing Group, LLC, 2007) Self also means one's individual person as distinguished from others. I believe that having a good "self" or being a good person means being honest, forgiving, and kind towards one's fellow. I also believe that having these qualities means being a good role-model for others.Honesty means being truthful and not lying, stealing or cheating. Lack of honesty leads to deception and deception is often selfish and unkind. Telling the truth builds trust among people and this is important because without trust, th ...view middle of the document...
Showing loving and affection and goodwill towards others is crucial because without a kindness behind an action, the action becomes selfish. Unconcerned with others, those acting without kindness tend to damage the lives of many people as well as their own. As difficult as it is sometimes, one should make an effort to always be nice. It is much more satisfying to walk away from a situation knowing that I handled it with grace and politeness, and with the ability to forgive.Forgiveness is having the ability to stop being angry at some one or something, or having the ability to pardon without punishment. It is important to be able to forgive one's fellow because if a grudge is held, one will most likely push people away. From personal experience, I have found that holding a grudge actually wastes my energy and in the end, the whole experience turns out to be damaging to none but myself. Learning to forgive enables more room for positive growth and in turn, helps me to avoid dwelling in the past.Each of these qualities is apparent in those I believe to be good people. The more good people there are, the more likely our children will follow suit. Children need role models that possess these specific characteristics so that they, too, may grow to be truthful, kind, and forgiving.Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. (2007). Definition of "Self". Retrieved on October 19, 2007, from Dictionary.com, website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/self.