Two Kinds of Goodness, and the common people in between.

I don't know when this "theory" formed, but, at least at this stage of my life, I believe that there are two extreme kinds of Goodness, whereas most people are in between.

1) Stupid Good
Hold on--let's be more politically correct. How about, "Naive Good"? These people are characterized by sincere, above-the-top optimism and faith in humanity, or at least certain aspects of humanity, and a general above-the-top innocent view of the world around them. These people sometimes are not liked but the “normal people” not because these people are “nonconformists” (a term that could be manipulated to mean something positive) but because their views are so out of touch with reality and so “good” that their character becomes to appear “fake” and “pretentious.” Examples of people who are “stupid good” are: April and Kyu Chul.
Again, April is a “good” person; perhaps a VERY “good” one. But the problem is that she is not inspiring. The world around her is shaped by her “goodness” and even when she’s angry, she still does it in a “good” manner. There is no way to have a deep conversation with her because her thoughts stop at “badness”—she can’t see the “good” behind the “bad”—she can only grasp the superficial level, quite well, actually. I hate to use the kind of words Paul Kim once used to me: she is limited—she is at most a good mediocre person. The failure to go beyond what is normally perceived as “good” almost ensures that April is not going to be an inspiring friend or person. We know the normal “good”—the should’s and should-not’s. To be valued highly you need to go beyond that.
For Kyu—the most problem I have is his faith, of unknown source, in the ability of others. His praises come way too easily. I’m not saying that there are people who worth nothing. But Kyu certainly exaggerates people’s ability all the time. “Oh, He is VERY VERY good at XXX.” Really? No, not really. More often than not what he’s saying is very inaccurate. But he is just so optimistic and supportive all the time—even when the reality isn’t supportive of him.
Another thing not pertaining to “Goodness” is his mentality concerning people and their prospective colleges. It seems that he practically worships elite colleges (Ahem! Not gonna use the phrase Ivy League). He worships these schools to the extent that getting into them somehow makes you superior in everything all of a sudden. Ms. Columbia, Mr. Cornell—seriously? Is this even necessary? Sure, there is a reason that certain people get into elite colleges and certain don’t. But that doesn’t all of a sudden make them gods or goddesses.
Anyway…Kyu is not an inspiring person either. He may be very knowledgeable about the past, but he has never shown me anything completely original or thoughtful. I am awed by the little encyclopedia inside his brain, but I am certainly not inspired by anything he does or say.
2) Smart Good
This is the type of “Good” that I admire. I think the perfect example is Dr. Wilson from House M.D. Anyone who watches House knows what kind of good person Wilson is. House said that he is so kind that patients thank him for telling them that they are going to die. Wilson married three times simply because he wanted to make those miserable women happy—not because he liked them himself. This is stupid, but it’s not the kind of “stupid good” I talked about. Wilson is a VERY VERY kind-hearted person—BUT! He does not even nearly resemble April or Kyu Chul. Wilson is the paradigm of Smart Good. First of all, he is very intelligent and witty. He can carry on all these quick-witted conversations with House and occasionally spot the little tricks House pull on him here and there. He knows House, a weird and difficult person, extremely well, to the extent that he may sometimes manipulate House. But so can House manipulate him. Wilson is not an idealist. He is not naïve. For god’s sake, he’s forty-something. Wilson is kind because he truly thinks for others and act upon it—not because he believes in something like we all should be good people who never cheat, steal, or curse or that everyone on earth possesses some kind special ability that makes them superior. Wilson’s goodness doesn’t touch upon those subjects because Wilson knows that those are not true. Moreover, Wilson is flawed. He doesn’t pretend that he has no flaws. In fact, he can be pretty wild sometimes. (You gotta be special to be House’s friend) Wilson is bounded by traditional morals and customs but at the same time—he is not a believer of such morals and customs, unlike April. He knows that there are rules that you can break and there are the ones that you can’t. He doesn’t pretend to be perfect (most people do it subconsciously because they don’t want to be perceived by the “normal people” as “abnormal” or simply “rude”. He doesn’t pretend to be god. Wilson’s goodness originates purely from his own heart and he is able to maintain such goodness as well as a sober-minded, realistic view of the world and people around him. That is “Smart Good.”