This I BelieveWithin the last 5 years, I have traveled as far north as New York and as far south as the island Hispaniola. By traveling, I have become a student of human nature as I have compared human behavior in various settings. As a result of my studies, I have formulated the belief that by and large, wherever you may go, people are well-meaning and try their best to do good to others. Put simply, I believe that people are good. Wherever I travel, I use the bus for transportation. Riding the bus is a great way to see simple acts of goodness in action. I remember last year when I traveled to NYC to interview at NYU, I was nervous to use public transportation. My wife and I are huge fans of the TV show Law & Order, which portrays New York as a place where anyone at any time can become the victim of a vicious crime. I flew in from Charleston, South Carolina in January, and the cold weather took me by surprise. Before long, a friendly New Yorker offered me his coat, which I refused since I would be leaving the next day. I was even more nervous on my way back to the airport when I had to pass through a rough neighborhood. After getting off the subway from Manhattan, I had a hard time telling where the bus to the airport would stop. I was hesitant to ask for help because I had always imagined New Yorkers as the sort of people who disliked being asked questions with seemingly obvious answers by tourists or other outsiders like myself. Regardless, a high school student was very helpful and understanding when I asked him to point me in the right direction. These are two simple examples of goodness that I experienced at random in a place I once thought was unfriendly. I discovered that New Yorkers were just as friendly as Southerners and that the only real difference between them is the accent. I now ride the bus to school every day and I see the same simple acts of goodness regularly. People of all ages and ethnicities offer up their seats to fellow passengers, make friendly conversation and act with a spirit of community that continues to impress me. I still watch Law & Order regularly with my wife, and I continue to read about crime and other unfortunate events in the news and elsewhere. My belief that people are good may seem nave. But when I think about it, all sorts of people ride the bus- even criminals. And I wonder if they spent more time on the bus they might be spending less time behind bars. This I believe.