Good characters shine forever.
Be better among equals. But how? It is through building characters every day. Then what constitutes our characters, and how are they so powerful to make or break the whole design of our lives? Let us probe.
Characters evolve over time and are based on our habits. Habits are formed by doing something consistently. Our actions are the outcome of our thoughts. Our thoughts are formed in our minds and are added or deleted as we grow in awareness and curiosity. It is a chain that connects what is happening around us to how we behave under the given conditions.
My personal experience suggests that some differentiation starts to manifest in early childhood. I extended deep respect to my teachers in school while many of my classmates were doing lip service. In college, I was very particular about attending all classes, while most of my peers escaped them on trivial grounds. During summer vacation, I had an eagerness to revise all topics to be ready for the next exam, but it was not happening year after year. All these goodnesses or flaws were shaping my character, of which I was not aware and realised only after entering my professional career and when dealing with social issues directly.
Personal qualities like integrity, self-discipline, respect, fairness, empathy, responsibility, courage, perseverance, and hard work are common characteristics of good character. One element of strong character breeds other traits because they are like small units of the same chain. It may start with anyone and spread to build other traits. I have experienced it.
I was bad at public speaking until I started my professional career. Later on, I was fearless enough to speak on any occasion. It means we all have some specific potential to grow, but it evolves when we face challenges. We don’t know our own uniqueness. Some evolve, and the majority die because of a lack of opportunities to allow them to flourish. The peculiar nature of our occupation also limits our talents.
"Men of genius are admired; men of wealth are envied; men of power are feared; but only men of character are trusted.". Alfred Adler
It is established that greatness gained through possessions, power, and position is like a structure created out of sand. And real greatness comes with goodness, selfless service, high morals, and ethical values.
Character is additive. Maximums are required to be added before adulthood so that benefits can be derived for a longer period of time in active life and in old age too.
Our experiences strengthen our chataters in the sense that a man of commitment can prove how sincerity pays, and prevailing conditions could not stop him from marching ahead. Such a person proves that merit prevails in rough weather, and we should not succumb to circumstances.
A character is normally well marked, either as good or bad. Bad characters always end in devaluation and even destruction. Good characters are remembered from generation to generation. There is no substitute for good traits.
We make all decisions with our own traits in mind. Life moves forward, backward, or remains stagnant as we decide from moment to moment. When we believe in fair dealing, we will do so irrespective of profit or loss in handling the issue.
"Say words we truly mean" is an example of good character. Examine ourselves to know what we do in our day-to-day dealings.
Good people pay more for being honest and sincere. It is a cost to our shaping good character. On the other hand, such people have few regrets. So we should count in totality, and finally, there is a gain in the balance sheet of good people. Real life is full of challenges, and characters make us capable of overcoming all challenges and threats.
Let the characters grow to make our lives shine.
