What are actually the traits of a good guy?
For me, it’s a person, who displays altruism and acts according to a strict ethical code.
And when that code puts him (or her, doesn’t matter. For simplicities sake I’ll assume a male gender) at a severe disadvantage, he’ll still abide his own rules regardless.
Even if he could get away with breaking the rules, a true good guy would never do so.
So, what are your requirements to qualify as “good guy”? Are there any solid guidelines, or is it more of a subjective thing?
EDIT: The subject line should read “Definition”.
My definition of a “good guy” pretty much matches your own. I believe that a “good guy” is someone who puts the concerns of others before his own, who protects those who are weaker or less fortunate than himself, who sticks to his principles of basic human decency, even when doing so puts him in difficulty.
A good guy only fights in self-defence, never in aggression.
A good guy never decends to the level of his enemies or uses the same tactics they do.
A good guy will give freely of what he earns to charity, without boasting of his generosity, or complaining about the loss.
A good guy is not a lecher, or an adulterer, but is not necessarily an ascetic monk, either
A good guy’s word is his bond, no matter who he gives his word to.
A good guy is not a bully, a cheat, a liar or a thief.
A good guy will be there when you need him, and will call you when he hears that you’ve been unwell - just to check up on you.
A good guy is not a saint, but tries his very hardest to better himself, and to make the world around a better place.
Those are just some of the things a good guy should be, but nobody said that being good was easy. I think that’s the whole point…