What is Character?
1. Character is the light which shines when the sun is down, and all other lights are out.
2. Character is the power, with which we can win victory even when losing battles.
3. Character is the awakened divine in man, before whom all heads bends, except those of the insane.
4. Character is that afflatus which shines even in poverty.
5. Character is that impregnable foundation on which stand all indestructible institutions of life.
6. Robbers can break open and rob every thing in the world, but not character. When we have lost every thing, but not character, we have not really lost anything.
7. Every thing made by man can be destroyed by man, but not character.
8. With character we can fearlessly face and conquer any kind of present and future. Without it, we have neither the present nor the future.
9. Education is hardly edifying without provision for character. Character-transmission is the essential mission of education.
10. One can build one’s own character. One can also lose one’s character, even after building it. Character needs perpetual tending like breathing every moment, for living.
11. No Nation is stronger than its character base. No individual is safer than his character-security.
12. Characterless-ness is that destitution which can not be worsened.
13. Character is what a person truly is, and his reputation is what he is supposed to be. When character and reputation both are the same, this is the ideal state of living.
14. Character is defined as qualities or features by which a person or a thing is distinguished from another, the aggregate of distinguishing mental and moral qualities of an individual or a race as a whole; the stamp of individuality impressed by nature, education or habit, that which a person or a thing really is.
Swami Vivekananda Says:
What you want is character, strengthening of the will. Continue to exercise your will and it will take you higher. This will is Almighty. It is character that can cleave through adamantine walls of difficulties and the proceeds to define character in this manner:
“The Character of any man is but the aggregate of his tendencies, the sum total of the bent of his mind. We are what our thoughts have made us. Thoughts live, they travel far. And so take care of what you think. Every work that we do, every movement of the body, every thought that we think, bears an impression on the mind-stuff. What we are every moment is determined by the sum total of these impressions on the mind. Every man’s character is determined by the sum total of these impressions. If good impressions prevail, the character becomes good; if bad, it becomes bad.”
15. Character is that ensemble of actualized qualities of the head and heart of any individual through the help of which he masters facts and forces of life in a creative manner and gradually reaches self-fulfillment in a way helpful to others as well.
16. The man of character develops upwards, the man without Character slips downwards. The man of Character makes history, the man without it is marred by history. The man of character is the hope, solace, well-being, peace and inspiration of mankind; the man without character causes trouble, strife, worry, in society.
- When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;
- When health is lost, something is lost;
- When character is lost, all is lost;
For character-building and personality development, we have to constantly follow a programme of self-development.
Self development means that we must be:
(a) Physically fit
(b) Mentally alert
(c) Intellectually inspired, and
(d) Spiritually illumined.
This is our individual development. Simultaneously we must also develop as :
(a) Member of our family
(b) Member of our society, and as
(c) Citizen of our country.
Factors which influence our self-development are :
1. Our inherited ‘Sanskars’
2. Our environment
3. Our experiences
4. Our ideal in life
5. Ignorance - lack of awareness
6. Lethargy - both physical and mental
7. Self-depreciation
8. Casual approach to life – Headlessness - Callous about duty, wasting time, squandering money foolishly.
9. Lacking in discrimination
10. Our depressing attitudes; viz.
(a) Negative attitude
(b) Indifferent attitude
(c) Fatalistic attitude
(d) Selfish attitude
(e) Pessimistic attitude
(f) Cynical attitude
(g) Escapist attitude
(h) Arrogant attitude
(i) Rigid attitude
(j) Obstinate attitude
(k) Argumentative attitude
(l) Perverted attitude
(m) Obstructive attitude
(n) Procrastinating attitude
(o) Fault finding attitude
Action Plan for Self Development
A. Physical Development
1. Regular life
2. Nourishing and clean food, neither over-eating nor under-eating
3. Exercise
4. Medical aid; when necessary
B. Mental Intellectual and Spiritual Development
1. Do you self-introspection identity your weaknesses and get rid of them at the earliest.
2. Have a positive attitude and desire to improve.
3. Have a high goal in life.
4. Plan your life and then work according to plan.
5. Have self-confidence. All power is within you. You are the make of your own destiny.
6. Gain self-knowledge-knowledge of the “Atman”.
7. Practice self-control
8. Think big build self-esteem
9. Have faith - “Shraddha”
10. Dedication
11. Enthusiasm
12. Courage of Confliction
13. Have right thinking, clear thinking, calm thinking and deep thinking.
14. Develop strong will-power.
15. Learn Control of mind and achieve equanimity of mind.
16. Develop power of concentration.
17. Practice non-attachment.
18. Work without worrying about the fruits of action.
19. Develop efficiency in action.
20. Be earless.
21. Control your anger.
22. Practice meditation, prayer and Jap.
23. Have some dynamic philosophy of life to guide you.
24. Constant practice.
25. Self-help, self-dependence and self-effort.
26. Hard work.
27. Team spirit.
28. Develop cordial inter-personal relation.
29. Simple, regular and disciplined life.
30. Thirst for knowledge, habit of study-Reading of scriptures, acquiring wisdom, mastery of languages, dictionary habit.
31. Practice moral, ethical and spiritual values: Truth, honesty, integrity, chastity, compassion, humility, forgiveness, straight forwardness, justice impartiality, efficiency, co-operation, concern for the other individual, love, affection, regard, generosity, sense of duty, punctuality, modesty, sympathy, empathy etc.
32. Learn to obey.
33. Respect teachers and elders and learn from them.
34. Self-sacrifice, selflessness.
35. Time management
36. Sense of responsibility.
37. Sprit of service, humanistic impulse.
38. Love of country.
39. Imaginative sympathy.
40. Aim for perfection
41. Minimise your diversions - Movies, T.V., magazines. Meeting the people etc.
42. Avoid politics and agitations.
43. Shun bad habits - smoking, drinking etc.
44. Do not be discouraged by failures.
45. Read swami Vivekananda’s books, at least 15 minutes in a day.
46. Practice silence occasionally.
47. Remain in good company.
48. Develop writing habit
49. Avoid blindly imitating others.
50. Invoke God’s grace. Do your best and leave the rest to god.
Without moral and spiritual values, no real development is possible. Keep on growing.
A person, who does not grow slowly and imperceptibly decays, deteriorates and is destroyed.
Stagnant water starts giving bad odour.
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA has said:
“Expansion is life, Contraction is death.”
Character is the most important thing. There is a beautiful Chinese proverb which says:-
“Where there is purity of heart,
there is beauty of character;
Where there is beauty of character,
there is harmony in the home;
Where there is harmony in the home,
there is order in the Nation;
Where there is order in the Nation,
there is peace on earth.”
A BEAUTIFUL CONVERSATION BETWEEN MAHATMA GANDHI AND GURUDEV RABINDRANATH TAGORE:
Once Gurudev Tagore asked Gandhiji "Gandhiji! Are you so unromantic? When the early dawns of morning sun rises, does it not fill your heart with joy to see its reddish glow? When the birds sing, does not your heart thrilled with its divine music? When the rose opens its petals and blooms in the garden, does its sight not bring cheers to your heart?"
Mahatma replied, and marked his words:- He said "Gurudev!
I am not so dumb or insensitive as not to be moved by the beauty of the rose or the morning rays of the sun or the divine music of the birds but what can I do? My one desire and my one anxiety, my one ambition is when shall I see the red tint of the rose on the cheeks of the hungry naked millions of my people"? And he said, 'When shall I hear the sweet and melodious songs of the birds in place of their agonising sighs? When will such music come out of their souls and when will that day come? When the light of the morning sun will illumine the hearts of the common man in India? When will I see its lustre and brightness on his face?" That is what the Mahatma had said.
That day is still far far off. Let us try, all try, to bring it nearer…