A Bowl full of Pecans: Good vs. Bad— a Case for a New Vernacular

If I set out a bowl of pecans and asked people “Are these pecans good or bad?”, I am quite sure that there would be a spectrum of responses that would be given. What makes something good or bad? What is good and what is bad? This entirely depends on the perspective from which you stand.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the adjective bad in several ways including:

failing to reach an acceptable standard, poor, unfavorable, spoiled, dilapidated, evil, morally objectionable, mischievous, disobedient, inadequate or unsuited to a purpose, disagreeable, unpleasant, injurious, harmful, serious, severe, incorrect, faulty, suffering pain or distress, unhealthy, diseased, sorrowful, sorry, invalid, void, and or not able to be collected.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines good in several ways as well:

of favorable character or tendency, bountiful, fertile, handsome, attractive, suitable, fit, free from injury or disease, not depreciated, commercially sound, that can be relied on, profitable, advantageous, agreeable, pleasant, salutary, wholesome, amusing, clever, of a noticeably large size or quantity, considerable, full, well-founded, cogent, true, honorable, legally valid or effect, adequate, satisfactory, liking only things that are of good quality, choice discriminating, virtuous, right commendable, kind benevolent, upper-class, competent, skillful

So, are pecans good or bad? Such is the case and question for many things: relationships, activities, and experiences, to name a few.

For me pecans are delicious. They aid in diabetes management, aid in weight loss, protect the heart, reduce cancer risk, and help with regularity. All good thing right? For me that sounds like they are good. Now for my sister, while they provide those same benefits, they come with one small risk, anaphylactic shock. She is deadly allergic to them. So for her, that would be bad.

So, might I suggest a case for a different labeling system? Is something healthy or unhealthy?For me, pecans are delightfully healthy and provide much needed nutrition and health benefits; for my sister, not so much. For one something maybe healthy and for another not.

This same concept can be applied to various different topics from relationship status to golfing. There are multiple factors that affect what makes something healthy vs unhealthy. When talking relationships I am inclined to view them as healthy vs unhealthy. For some an open relationship might be the healthy thing to do, for others it might be unhealthy.

When evaluating things especially within your relationship, ask is this healthy or unhealthy. A new paradigm to think with.