The Moral Fiber
In several dialogues of Plato, he asks, “Can Virtue or Character Be Taught?” This age-old question has been debated since the Athenian philosophers came on the scene. The question should be if one could be taught right from wrong, and the answer to this question is, yes. However, character should be illustrated by what you do with knowing right from wrong. Children have certainly been taught what is considered right and wrong behavior portrayals in society. Nevertheless, oftentimes, they fail to live up to the standard of true character, as do we adults.
Are There Chronic Liars?
There are people you can trust and there are those who would lie through their teeth in order to escape from exposing their true motives or actions. The people I am speaking of can be classified as friends, relatives, spouses, bosses, law enforcement officers, Christians, politicians, etc. Are you wondering why I placed Christians on this list of people who can possibly be void of moral fiber? This list can easily trickle over into every group in life. People that are position oriented or status conscious are those most likely to exhibit character flaws.
Research on Lying
A not-so surprising result of a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts psychologist Robert S. Feldman and published in the most recent Journal of Basic and Applied Social Psychology discovered that most people lie in everyday conversation when they are trying to appear likable and competent or if they are trying to convince someone of their ability or character. The study also revealed that 60 percent of the people who agreed to the study lied at least once during a 10-minute conversation and told an average of two to three lies.
Establishing Character
Character cannot be taught, but it can be established and built. On the other hand, integrity can only be established and practiced. Let us take a moment and find out what exactly is character? Character is an attribute or a quality that defines a person. A person is defined by a certain set of habits, qualities or attitudes and these form the basis upon which your character is judged.
What Builds Character
There are also positive or negative associations of character. When a person is considered a person of character, the unsaid adjective is a positive or negative. If it is positive, it is an indication that he is ethically and morally upright and can be trusted. When someone is said to be a character, it could mean the negative-that he could be funny, awkward, or boisterous. Without exception, every attribute of you goes into the building of your character. If someone were to describe YOU as a character, they would take into consideration all aspects of your personality, including your physical appearance, your social habits, your psychological reactions and other people’s perception of your strengths. In reality, people’s perception of your character is what goes into giving you a reputation, whether positive or negative.
Associations
Your associations and what you listen to daily can help others to define you and the direction your life is going. People do not like to admit this, but your friends tell us a lot about you and your character. A person may say that they are nothing like their friends, but in truth, the fact that you listen and associate with such unscrupulous personalities at times, informs us of your potential. If you do not believe what I am saying, think hard about times when you left your friends presence-do you find yourself rehearsing the words you heard from your friend in someone’s ear. How about reviewing the price of the homes all your friends have or the income level of your friends. Your income is an average of your ten closest friends, so what does that say about your earning potential.
Self-Examination
Criminals hang out with criminals, gossipers love the company of other gossipers, and wise people love talking with people with great wisdom. You attract after your own kind. In truth, your character is the attraction that lures people with similar qualities. Therefore, do not be surprise with those people you cannot seem to shake away.
Related Posts:
About The Author
I have had to shed friendship because they were not going in my direction anymore. It hurts for a little while, but I know it must be done.
The “Research on lying” paragraph caused me to do a throrough self examination. In my past I have found myself lying in conversation and sugarcoating my flaws by convincing myself it’s just an exaggeration on the truth. It also opens my eyes to listen closer to the words people speak and gauge their information for it’s accuracy. Very good post Dr. Brown.
Strong God – Strong Man.
Once again, you have hit it; spot on.I have grown up with and around alot of characters in my life. I have also experienced the blessings of folks with quality character. I know I have character flaws;one of which is an addictive personality. I grew up around folks who perceived help as a sign of improper weakness.
I only care about what others think half the time; which is better than all the time. However; I maybe uncaring at the wrong times.
I know better; but following through is another one of my character flaws.Fully taking advantage of good opportunities, and turning my good intentions into actions; has often times been my short fall.I have continually lost sight of the bigger picture.
I use to find myself adding things to the conversation which made me look and sound important, but now I could care less how I look and sound. I just want people to see the Jesus in me and know that He is whats happening. As people, we want everyone to like or respect us by what we say but those types situations are not being a credit to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am learning that even if they don’t like me, I will still have to be honest and just give them what they need. It took a lot for me to be honest with people until I realized that they are just people and what they think of me will not send me to heaven or hell. What a character flaw, I found out that just being honest will work everytime. I want Jesus and my Father to be proud of me.