Thoughts on character.

[KillerMuffin]

Have any?

I like Helen Keller's.

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

What is character? Why do some people seem to have it and others don't? How important is character? How do you judge someone on their character? How much of a role does a person's character play in the amount of respect you give them?

 

[Cheyenne]

What is character? Why do some people seem to have it and others don't? How important is character? How do you judge someone on their character? How much of a role does a person's character play in the amount of respect you give them?

Is this another of your writing assignments that you want us to help you do? Hmmmmm??

I'm not in an essay mood tonight, but the short answer is that character IS important and determines whether I give someone any respect or not. A big part of "character" is telling the truth and doing the right thing when faced with a decision. Actions speak louder than words.

I also think character is more easily judged when the person is going through a rough time rather than when everything is coming up roses for them.

 

[KillerMuffin]

No, just MoodyMuffins tonight. I'm taking Algebra this swing around.

 

[Cheyenne]

No, just MoodyMuffins tonight. I'm taking Algebra this swing around.

Oh, algebra! Fun! Of all the math classes, algebra is the one I think I use the most in real day to day life.

 

[Never]

As a lesbain, Killer, anyone ever tell you that you're uber-sexy when you get all intellectual 'n stuff?

I can tell that your definition of character and mine don't mesh, mine is the outstanding parts of a person's personality, while yours is a type of strength that develops within a person as they grow and learn. (At least, I think that's what your definition is.)

What is character?
You're talking about what I would call a nobility of character (Again, I might be wrong), what 'it is' is simply taking one's beliefs and acting in accordance with them. If someone believes that telling the truth is the right thing to do then they do just that, of course it's easy to tell the truth most of the time but the test comes when you could lose something or be inconvenced by telling the truth. Two people can both believe in telling the truth but if, say, they both made a mistake and admitting it would cost them their job one might lie to keep his job and one might face the 'trial' by telling the truth and therefore show his character (or nobility of character as I would call it.)

Why do some people seem to have it and others don't?
You might as well ask why some people become criminals and others don?t; people have character because they choose to have it. As to why they have it, well it's probably a combination of genetics and environment and upbringing like everything else that human's do.

How important is character?
I don't know yet. I have many concepts that I value a great deal and yet I have never gone through a 'trial' for which means I haven't developed my 'character'. I'm still young and idealistic; I think part of developing your character is realizing that you will never be as noble as you wish. As much as I value honesty I have lied, as much as I value privacy I've gossiped, and as much as I value fairness I've shown favor to friends.

How do you judge someone on their character? How much of a role does a person's character play in the amount of respect you give them?
Yes, I judge people on their character, what I know of it. I think some of the hardest decisions are made in private so it can be a difficult thing to judge. I give everyone respect (or I try to) and it would be hypocritical of me to judge someone too harshly because they didn't satisfy a moral requirement I thought they should have.

Human nature is a slippery thing and holding everyone to a standard that no one can keep is self-defeating. At the moment, I'm in a situation where I wish that another party would show the character I want them to. I know they won't and it disappoints me but at the same time I realize that doing the 'right thing' can have a huge cost and it's not my right to judge whether another is lacking because they aren't willing to pay that cost.

 

[Never]

Cheyenne:
"Oh, algebra! Fun!"

You're a sick woman Cheyenne.

 

[YogiBare]

To me, character is everything.

It's a combination of integrity and Godliness.

Character is earned, and you have to really want it to get it.

 

[miles]

It may sound too simple, but it's the manner in which someone conducts themselves.

When I was doing lots of training the company I worked for purchased a motivational video by Lou Holtz, the football coach. I wasn't a big fan of inspirational stuff, but this was different. The central theme was simple: when in doubt, ask yourself one question:

Is it the right thing to do?

 

[Laurel]

IMHO, people with character are:

Consistent. They don't apply one standard for them and theirs, and another for the rest of the world.

Credible. They do not deliberately spread false information or mislead people.

Courageous. They stand up for their beliefs, even when their beliefs are unpopular. They stand against injustice when they see it no matter what the cost.

Caring. They have compassion for other people, and respect their freedoms and viewpoints.

 

[Guest]

She said:
Have any?

Woooo! Hooooo!

Noooo! Butt ....

Maybe this will help ...

Few Favorite Sayings::

1."A bloody egg yolk. A burt hole spreading in a sheet. An enraged rose threatening to bloom." - May Swenson

2."I am a man, and men are animals who tell stories. This is a gift from God, who spoke our species into being, but left the end of our story untold. That mystery is troubling to us. How could it be otherwise? Without the final part, we think, how are we to make sense of all that went before: which is to say, our lives?

3."I promised you an autobiography, but something went wrong in the kitchen." - Kurt Vonnegut, "Bluebeard"

4."Tremendous concentrations of paper wealth have made it possible for a few persons or institutions to endow certain forms of human playfulness with inappropriate and hense distressing seriousness. I think not only of the mudpies of art, but of childrens' games as well - running, jumping, catching, throwing. Or dancing. Or singing songs." - Kurt Vonnegut, "Bluebeard"

5."There is no way a beautiful woman can live up to what she looks like for any appreciable length of time." - Kilgore Trout, "Kiss Me Again"

6."What does a woman want?" - Sigmund Freud

7.Here was something more graspable: a spontaneous eruption of lunacy among an ordinary cross section of people . . . - Clive Barker - Weave World

8."The sky is deep, the sky is dark. The light of stars is so damn stark. When I look up, I fill with fear. If all we have is what lies here, this lonely world, this troubled place, then cold dead stars and empty space . . . Well, I see no reason to persevere, no reason to laugh or shed a tear, no reason to sleep or ever to wake, no promises to keep, and none to make. And so at night I still raise my eyes to study the clear but mysterious skies that arch above us, as cold as stone. Are you there, God? Are we alone?" - "The Book of Counted Sorrows"

...or not!

With ...

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me." - Areatha Franklin

 

[Never]

miles:
"Is it the right thing to do?"

I great question but only when dealing with a black and white situation.

 

[Svedish_Chef]

Have any?

Not that I know of but if someone does find it please use it to its fullest capabilities

 

[Svedish_Chef]

miles:
"Is it the right thing to do?"

I great question but only when dealing with a black and white situation.

No, it doesn't matter how many shades of grey it has, that question will stand you well.

(Assuming you are a moral person in the first place.)

 

[Mensa]

Riddle me this?

Courageous. They stand up for their beliefs, even when their beliefs are unpopular.

What if their beliefs are wrong? (e.g. Osama bin Laden)

 

[Laurel]

If he lacks the other 3 characteristics, then he has no character. All 3 must be present. IMHO.

 

[The_old_man]

One of the protagonists in my favorit SF series defined it as:


character is what you know you are.

reputation is what others think you are.

 

[Mensa]

If he lacks the other 3 characteristics, then he has no character. All 3 must be present. IMHO.

Ah! But he could possess all three of your characteristics, yet still be wrong.

Consistent. They don't apply one standard for them and theirs, and another for the rest of the world.

The standard they use for all is very regimented and narrow.

Credible. They do not deliberately spread false information or mislead people.

They may truly believe that said false information isn't. We believe it to be a lie, they believe it to be truth.

Courageous. They stand up for their beliefs, even when their beliefs are unpopular. They stand against injustice when they see it no matter what the cost.

They believe we are the perpetrators of injustice, while we believe the reverse. Their actions may be regarded by them as standing against injustice. To us their actions are nothng more than rank terrorism and cold-blooded murder.

Caring. They have compassion for other people, and respect their freedoms and viewpoints.

Can we truly claim to respect the viewpoints of people like Osama bin Laden? Do we feel their freedom should be protected? Because it's their beliefs that have set them in utter opposition to us, beliefs they adhere to as revealed truth in much the same way we cling to ours.

We believe we are right and they are wrong. They believe the exact opposite.

 

[Laurel]

Differences in opinion are fine so long as they're handled with civility. When they aren't handled civilly or rationally, that's when things go to shit.

 

[Mensa]

Differences in opinion are fine so long as they're handled with civility. When they aren't handled civilly or rationally, that's when things go to shit.

Agreed! But does failure to do so denote lack of character ?

 

[Never]

I believe there is a difference between having 'character' and having the same morality that I have. You can have character and still behave in an immoral or even evil fashion.

 

[Mensa]

Case in point

I believe there is a difference between having 'character' and having the same morality that I have. You can have character and still behave in an immoral or even evil fashion.

Exactly! Many a mafia capo believes himself to be a socially and spiritually upright individual who just happens to kill people for a living.

 

[letsallgetlaid]

Passion

I think that the main part of someone having a strong character is that they have passion.
That is also the most attractive thing in a person for me too. It really doesn't matter what they passion is regarding, just that it -is- passion.

 

[Azwed]

I remember Algebra a long time ago in a land far far away.

It is the most useful part of math for most people though. I mean I took math all the way up to Differiental Equations. I don't remember very much of that at all and what I do remember I have used maybe once or twice since then.

 

[RisiaSkye]

I think "character" is a rather difficult thing to define.

Personally, I respect consistency, rationality, thought, respect for difference, willingness to learn, and a desire to bring joy to others. At minimum, this requires honesty, persistence, willingness to take constructive action, and the ability to respect even those who disagree with one's personal values. But, that's just my definition.

For myself, "character" as defined above, is the motivating goal for most of my actions. I'm still working on it, and probably always will be.

 

[Never]

As a lesbian, I think you're doing a damned good job.