Character
Our culture is so enamored with success and failure it seems to ignore character. Just ask somebody what character is and notice what happens. The fundamental word means to engrave or to represent. An interesting idea that character has to do with how we “represent.” Then failure, success, the tragic and the sublime are just opportunities to represent?
“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln
“One can acquire everything in solitude – except character.” Marie Henri Beyle
Nature magically suits a man to his fortunes, by making them the fruit of his character.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
It does seem like character is the thing people depend on but don’t consider until a rupture presents itself. Then, the default is “well, look at her character” as if people were destined to fail.
Wouldn’t it be remarkable to pro-actively get in front of those remarks and build, save, deposit, create or cause character to present ahead of time?
Great post sir.
I remember reading something that Dwight L. Moody once said, “I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.”
We are always “presenting” ourselves. When we come into a new setting or even a possible compromise situation, that is when we re-present ourselves. I like this kind of thinking. Takes character out of being something outside of our reach.
Good stuff.