“Waste no more time
arguing about what a
good man should be.
Be one.”
~ Marcus Aurelius

Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American writer, philosopher, and poet, observed, “We sometimes meet an original, who, if manners had not existed, would have invented them.” I am grateful to know such a person. In fact, I’ve known him since the earliest days of my childhood. His name is John Hurley.

John’s parents and mine were great friends. Getting together with the Hurley clan was always an enjoyable experience. In the early to mid-1960s, our families vacationed together, first at Redwood Rest Resort in Boulder Creek, then at Pine Grove Resort in Lake County. Those vacations were better because we shared them with a number of other families, most notably, the Hurleys. 

John has devoted his life in service to others as a nurse. His years working at San Francisco General Hospital, and then at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, provided him with a wealth of experience. An invitation to teach in the School of Nursing at the University of San Francisco gave John an opportunity to share the knowledge, wisdom, and passion for nursing he had developed through his career.

For an episode of the early 1990s television sitcom Northern Exposure, television writer Diane Frolov wrote a statement with which I strongly disagree. She wrote, “People are simply incapable of prolonged, sustained goodness.” While this may be a fairly accurate statement, I am blessed to know a few people who are exceptions to this rule. John Hurley is one of them.

From his earliest days, John has been consistently kind, thoughtful, and caring. His life has been, and continues to be characterized by genuine goodness. Conservative talk show host Dennis Prager pointed out, “Goodness is about character — integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything, it is about how we treat other people.” This explanation of goodness would be equally accurate if used to describe John Hurley. 

The legendary Jamaican reggae singer, Bob Marley, claimed, “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” Using Marley’s measure of a man, John is a great man. This might explain why any time I’m engaged in conversation with someone and John’s name comes up, I always hear the same thing: “What a great guy!”

Richard Carlson, author of many books including Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, wrote, “Make living your life with absolute integrity and kindness your first priority.” John Hurley has embraced this concept. Over breakfast yesterday morning, he told me that one of his favorite sources of inspiration comes from the words of the Dalai Lama who said, “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”

Some individuals make a conscientious effort to “be good.” While this is commendable, author Eckhart Tolle believes that “you don’t become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you.” John Hurley has found this goodness within himself. Those who know him recognize and appreciate this. He truly is a good man.