Why Believe in Human Goodness?

 The title of my topic is what is the reason for thinking that all beings are good? And I came up with this topic while reading Santideva's chapter "The Perfection of Patience": "if sentient beings are good by nature, then anger toward them is inappropriate as it would be toward pungent smoke in the sky." (Line 40, p.66). Santideva uses the analogy of fire in the previous two sections, to show how a deep understanding of something lessens one's anger or vexations toward it. This analogy is interesting to explore, as I have done in the previous blog. But in this Line 40, Santideva uses the analogy of the pungent smoke, a kind of 'byproduct' of the fire. Santideva's point is to say: if deep down inside the nature of human beings is 'naturally good', then getting annoyed at one's less savory qualities is a bit like getting caught up in the smoke. If, on the other hand, I can keep in mind that what I am seeing is only an appearance, then one can remember that everyone deep down inside is good, and the appearance of 'the bad' is adventitious and short lived.
   I wonder, why should one believe that others are good, even strangers? I think the answer is fairly obvious, but not so easy to practice in daily life. Santideva's suggestion is to say that for the most part, people are like jewels which may have been covered in a film of dust. I also have a similar dust on my eyes which prevents me from seeing and trusting in that inherent goodness that is in people. For the most part, what we experience of others is only like a thin and filmy surface, where thoughts might easily lead to knee-jerk reactions. But given the right conditions, it's possible to uncover that inherent goodness, particularly when the mind is very clear, still and calm. It's a little bit like those moments when a person is panicking over something that hasn't happened yet, such as an exam or some other major life event.. Finally, when that moment arises, a person wonders what it was all about, and why they were feeling the way they were. The thoughts are all just film which is covering up the actual experience.
    A similar thing may be the case with people. For the most part, what I truly experience isn't the actual mind of a person, but it's only the thoughts and impressions coming from the subconscious and previous experiences. To really know someone, it's almost as though I have to stop projecting my likes and dislikes onto that person. I have to realize that nothing I like or dislike is relevant to that person's being. This is a little bit more than simple camaraderie: it is a kind of deeper realization of what is common to all beings.
     I don't think this means that one will not have judgments about others. Chances are that one will have judgments arising in mind: but it's possible to have this space to know that the judgments don't refer to real things or situations at all. With that space, one can learn not to react so strongly to judgments about others, and to contemplate instead the commonality that exists in people.