Does running make you a better person? Does climbing mountains make you a better person? Does becoming a parent make you a better person?
Some people seem to believe that it does. And there are plenty of those (especially those that don’t run, climb, or have kids) who believe that it doesn’t. And I tend to agree with them.
My deep conviction is that nothing extrinsic can ever make you a better person. Or a worse person, for that mater. Being rich won’t make you a better person. Being poor won’t either. Believing in God won’t make you a better person. Nor being an atheist. Surviving cancer or becoming terminally ill won’t make you a better person. And even helping others won’t magically turn you into a better person.
Becoming a parent might not only not make you a better person, it has a very high potential of making you a very grumpy and deeply unhappy person.
Unless you are willing to learn from the experience. Unless you stop complaining, shut up, open your eyes and ears and take it all in. And then use the experience to become a better person.
Certain life events have a power to put you in just the right frame of mind and help you see things in a new light. They might show you that what is—is not the best. And thus you receive a nudge to become a better person.
But the rest is up to you. Only you can make you a better person.
