I've been thinking today: people are at heart good. Yes, I know there are all sorts of counter points to that statement, but here's the thing.

First, look at the ridiculously huge human population on the planet, and then consider the fact that we haven't yet, in fact, destroyed everything down to the sphere at the center of the Earth.

Second, look at the people who cause issues for other human beings. On the face of it, perhaps some of them could seem like assholes through and through, but then take another step back. Consider the context of that person's life. Genetics and environment and experience go a long way toward shaping an individual and who they become later. There are arguments that could be made on all sorts of sides about how much is a person's free will and specific choice and how much is it something they couldn't actually help.

That isn't something I can debate on either side because I don't have enough information, but the point is that even if someone's an Asshole With A Capital A, even if what they're doing isn't fair to others, maybe at least there's an understandable reason for why their life has taken the path where they are being a jerk at this point in time. In short, they weren't necessarily born evil.

Third, consider the number of people who want to connect with others, to help others. The people who volunteer their time or money or energy to others, to complete strangers, maybe in their city or with a connection that is personally meaningful somehow, like being of the same descent or religion or sexual orientation. But this same spirit can be found in people donating something they worked hard to obtain or that is meaningful to them, to people who might be across the entire world, who they'll never meet, they'll never know personally, and yet they wish to help them on a level that will be very personally meaningful to the receiver.

Fourth, consider yourself. I'm fairly certain that if you're reading this post and you had the wherewithal and ability to click all the links needed to get here, then you are quite probably a human being. And I bet you are good at heart as well. And being so, you are a member of the human race, and thus you are part of the whole. Aggregate enough good hearts together and you can quickly gain a minority that I believe is actually the majority.

I saw a sign the other day that put a spin on that ages old concept of whether the glass is half full/empty. It said, "Don't worry about whether the glass is half full or half empty. Instead, go looking for someone who is thirsty." I liked that. I also like the answer I give people now: technically, the glass is always full since the other half is filled with air.

I was watching documentaries today on a variety of topics but one of them was about a man who decided to live entirely off the goodwill of others on Craigslist for a month.

And it got me thinking at the end of it how, you know what? Yeah. If some dude tried to suddenly crash at my place or wanted me to drive him somewhere, my first worry would be personal safety. Because I'm not big and probably any dude could overpower me with enough motivation. But if we were to assume I trusted him for some reason, or at least believed him, then my next thought would be: how can I help you?

If I learned he didn't have food, I'd want to give him food. If I felt safe with him over, I'd let him sleep the night on the couch. If I had someone else with me, I'd let him bum a ride. I suppose the presence of a cameraman helped those people make the decision, or perhaps it didn't. I'm not them so I can't say.

But it did get me thinking about my limited experience in traveling. I remembered when I got deathly ill unexpectedly the first day in Fiji, and my group dropped me off at a woman's house who they knew somehow. And that woman, bless her soul, let me lay on her couch all day, didn't mind at all that I kept throwing up in her bathroom, and even went out of her way to make me food that would help me feel better. Amusingly, we later learned she knew my favorite professor from college back in the States. Small world.

Then I thought about how rewarding it was when I ventured on my own in Switzerland. I didn't know any of the official languages but I could muddle through it well enough through other languages I knew, and I got on trains and explored cities on my own.

The time that came to mind was on the train ride to Basel. At one point after we had left one stop and as we were on our way to another, I found a wallet in the bathroom. It was sitting on the back of the toilet like someone had set it down and forgotten or it had fallen out of a pocket. I opened it up and found money, an ID, cards, you name it. But it was all in German and I didn't know how to get it back to the person.

I worried about it for a bit before deciding perhaps the person would realize they'd lost it and be right back. My seat was right next to the bathroom door so I watched it like a hawk for maybe three minutes before I couldn't handle it anymore. I was too worried that someone else would find it and steal that poor person's money, so I went back in and grabbed the wallet.

But then I had a problem. I didn't think you could call 911 in Switzerland the way you could in the US. And if I did, I'd have to rely on people knowing English. So I thought it might be better to give it to a lost and found somewhere, but how did that work in a cross-country setting like a train?

So I sat there worrying about this, clutching the wallet in my hand to protect it, and looked at the few other passengers. There were two women sitting nearby who were chatting away, and a few other people halfway across the way. In a lull in the women's conversation, I leaned over and asked in my awkward German whether either of them spoke English. I still remember the startled looks they gave me, but thankfully one of the women did.

So I explained to her the issue, and my dilemma, and I asked her how I could get the wallet somewhere safe for the woman who owned it. I remember she gave me such a baffled look at first. Maybe not baffled-- maybe just surprised. It was probably pretty damn obvious I'm American based on my accent and my inability to speak the local language. I'm not sure what impression the Swiss might have of Americans. We don't exactly have a stellar reputation around the world. I got the impression she was a bit surprised I was so intent on safeguarding this wallet and hadn't taken anything from it.

She had me show her where I'd found it, and I told her how there were things in it and that made me worried, and she said there was a lost and found at the station. She seemed like she was going to try to explain to me how to do this and then she shook her head and said, "It's okay. I will do it."

I thanked her profusely and perched on my seat like a jumpy little owl, my head swiveling at every noise as if I expected the owner to go to that bathroom and walk back out with a crestfallen look. And then I could give it to her directly without her having to worry.

The woman who had been conversing with my English speaking woman asked her something in German. I didn't need to know the language to know it was, "What the hell was that all about?" followed by an explanation. But I was really glad when our stop came and my English speaking woman and her companion got very determined faces and made a beeline for the help desk.

Of course, I never knew what happened. For all I know, that woman never got her wallet back. But I really hope she did. And I really hope she didn't have to worry too long until she was contacted. Maybe she was spared that and didn't even realize it was missing until she was told it was recovered fully intact.

But that's the thing. It's not like I did that because I figured a year from then I'd feel like randomly telling a story, or even because I found comfort in it. It was quite stressful, and I pushed myself out of my comfort zone interrupting those women asking them if they spoke English. I felt like an ass having to ask that; like I was just some lazy person who never bothered learning other languages. When instead, I've taken classes on at least 7 languages (although I'm definitely not fluent in any of them). Just. Nothing that helped me converse in Switzerland.

If it had been Spanish, I would have been fine. (Actually that's something else that was funny, when I was translating French museum notes into English in my mind and then into Spanish for a Spanish couple I met at the Roman ruins at the end of that train ride)

Anyway, the point is I was in a country where I didn't even understand the language and couldn't converse with people, and I found some complete stranger's wallet, which I made sure got into the right hands to get it to safety so she could recover it. And I'm just some person, right? So there are tons of other humans like me who are probably even more conscientious.

Which means the human race is filled with people who, when it comes right down to it, will react to a sense of community in a positive way by trying to help others in need. Often, for little to nothing in return other than satisfaction, adventure or peace of mind.

It's something that I really appreciate about humans. When we don't get distracted by unfairly judging our differences, we can be a kind and caring species who can recognize that a stranger could very well be a friend we just haven't met yet.