Are people basically good or bad?

Are people basically good or basically bad?

Tough question, one that occupies a good deal of religious, philosophical and psychological thought. One we all struggle to sort out, sometimes on a daily basis, whether we know it or not.

A few months ago we were trying to sell an older, out-of-production car on the Internet. I've sold used cars before, and consider myself fairly "street smart" when it comes to the process. And I was enjoying the relative ease of using one of the online sites.

I wound up exchanging e-mails and a few phone calls with a number of people. Even showed the car a couple of times. Nice folks; a pleasant experience.

Then I got an e-mail from an "auto broker" who said he was particularly interested in the make and model of the car we were selling for one of his "clients."

We exchanged e-mails for a while; then he made a proposal. He would meet our selling price, but the client, who was out of the country, had left him with a voucher for about twice what we were asking. He wanted us to accept this voucher, wire transfer the difference to him, and allow his "agent" to take the car.

It took me about 10 seconds to read "scam" into this last e-mail. I was pretty sure this voucher would wind up being some sort of forgery and I would be out a few thousand dollars and a car to boot.

I found myself feeling more let down than irritated. I wasn't all that disappointed that we hadn't sold the car (we weren't in any particular hurry), nor that somebody thought I was stupid enough to fall for such a con.

I had just enjoyed being part of the online community of car buffs I'd come into contact with, and now found my faith in human nature momentarily shaken by someone so blatantly trying to take advantage of me.

The next day, wandering through the Sunday paper, I came across a human interest story about a woman who moved into a city neighborhood. Trying to figure out a way to get to know her neighbors, she volunteered to help the seniors on the block plant their spring gardens.

At first they were suspicious - they wondered whether she had some ulterior motive. They suspected she might even try to take advantage of them. Eventually, however, her perseverance led to weekly visits to these elderly neighbors, helping them to weed and cultivate the gardens they had planted together. And it led to lots of new friends.

These sorts of stories are all around us. Put in juxtaposition with my experience with an online scam artist, however, I was reminded of an important truth.

There is plenty of evidence in all our lives to lead us to decide that people are basically good. Unfortunately, there is also plenty of evidence to point to the conclusion that we'd better not trust anybody.

If we operate from the first assumption, we will likely relate to those around us in a positive, friendly and trusting manner. Research tells us we will feel better emotionally and even physically, and get along a whole lot better with the people in our lives. Of course, we will also be wrong sometimes, and probably be let down or conned now and then.

If we operate from the second assumption, we will treat people in a negative, guarded and suspicious manner, and likely experience some unpleasant emotional, physical and social consequences of such an approach. And though we may never get let down or conned, I suspect we will also likely miss out on a good deal of what makes life worth living.

I guess it's one of those questions for which there is no clear or obvious answer. People - are they basically good or bad? As long as I've got a choice, I'll still choose the former.

• The Rev. Ken Potts' new book, "Mix, Don't Blend: A Guide to Dating, Engagement, and Remarriage with Children," is available through book retailers.