Whether someone is a good person or a bad person is subjective. Obviously such a label is the product of opinion and personal belief. However, I think that there are a few common guidelines we as human beings can agree upon, see: common sense. Everything else falls to a case-by-case basis. Is it a moral standing or religious conviction? For some people perhaps, but I think it all comes down to priorities. Everyone is more or less operating with the same resources, though at varying levels of accessibility, and the determination of one’s character depends on the order of their priorities.
The older I get, the more I realize that prioritizing is not as easy as it sounds. It is most often true that the “right” thing to do is in fact not the most pleasant or the easiest; exactly as we say to children when they are young and make misguided decisions. It’s kind of funny how we say this phrase with such clarity, but find it so hard to live by the same clarity in our own adult lives. I suppose part of what makes it hard is that no situation is ever as straightforward as it seems. With kids we can demand the truth from both parties and mediate until resolution. In the adult world, rarely ever do we have all of the facts on the table. That is an entirely separate entry I’ll write someday on communication, or more accurately, lack thereof.
So my current quandary is this: If you have known someone to be a good person by whatever standards implore you, but then, at an undetermined point over time their priorities change to a state that is contradicting to said standards, are they still a good person?
I think people are more likely than not to let you down. I know that is pessimistic, but it's like you said, it is rare that all the facts are on the table, and when things come out, it can be troublesome.
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