What does it mean to be a good person?
According to a BBC World News Article, Danny Masterson, one of the stars of That 70s Show in the early 2000s, was sentenced to serve 30 years to life in prison for drugging and raping two different women during the height of the show. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66744480). 30 years to life is not newsworthy by itself, the fact that Masterson is a celebrity does make it so in the eyes of some, but to me there is another reason as to why this story has drawn my attention. In this article we will discuss what it means to be a good person.
Following the conviction and sentencing Legalaffairsandtrials.com posted an article claiming that over 50 people had written letters to the judge responsible for the sentencing in support of Masterson. ( https://www.legalaffairsandtrials.com/p/ashton-kutcher-and-mila-kunis-wrote) A few of the particular notable mentions were Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, two of Masterson’s costars on That 70s Show.
Mila in her letter stated that Masterson had an unwavering commitment to discouraging her use of drugs, and that he has displayed a profound sense of responsibility, and care to those around him and demonstrates grace and empathy. William Baldwin said that he has never known anyone that is more beloved than Danny Masterson. And finally, Ashton Kutcher states that Masterson set an extraordinary standard of how to treat other people and that he is a good friend to him and others as well.
I myself am a convicted felon and I served time in a federal facility. Support letters can go a long way to help decrease sentence length and increase possibility of parole. But as a convicted felon I would not consider myself a good person. Even before I was a felon, the way that I view goodness now would not include myself.
As you are reading this, I do not even view you as a good person, because as it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; (Romans 3:10). Goodness is a quality that is reserved for God and God alone. We cannot achieve goodness on our own, and the amount of works and charities and money that will not change the fact that we all have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Danny Masterson has been convicted of some serious offenses, but how many of us can say that we are any better. Achieving goodness on our own is like trying to jump to the moon from the earth. Some of us like myself are not physically talented and may only get a few inches of air. Others, much more gifted, may double or even triple the space between our soles and the soil. We often compare the difference in our jumps, the few inches extra that we can jump compared to the person on our left and on our right, but we fail to look at the 15,136,704,000 inches that we have still missed by.
Danny Masterson is not a good person, but neither are we. I pray that one day soon he may find the source of goodness and accept it into his heart. That source of goodness can only be found in Jesus. There is no amount of money, no amount of charity, no amount of work that is required. His (Jesus) Grace is enough!
