A Dreamland It Would Be
My grandmother once told me that a person who "has character" is a person who not only thinks well of others, but of themselves as well. She also told me that such a person is not afraid to stand up for their beliefs. I still hold these qualities of character to heart because, after all, a grandmother's word is wisdom. However, I have slightly modified my qualities of character to a bit higher standard. A person who has character is someone who is courageous, ethical, has self-respect and treats others well. I can only imagine what a dreamland it would be if everyone in the world had character. Courage is an important quality of character because it shows that one is not afraid to stand up for what they believe is right. Courageous people are emotionally strong enough to handle whatever trials and tribulations that are forced their way and they do this with integrity and perseverance. In Stockdale's story, "The World of Epictetus," he discusses his courageous fight for survival while serving eight years as a prisoner of war (four of which were spent in solitary confinement) during the Vietnam War. This showed such an amazing act of courage because he was able to survive this tragic ordeal witho
A person who is ethical is someone who is just, righteous, honorable and virtuous. In Aristotle's "Happiness and the Virtues," he discusses moral virtue and how the feelings and actions of these involve excess, deficiency and a mean. Courageous individuals have great honor and integrity within themselves and are not afraid to show it. These character flaws can easily be turned around if people are willing to work at it. For example, when we are tempted to deceive others, either at work or school, our compassion for the other person will prevent us from entertaining the thought. A person with such qualities, according to Aristotle, has reached the "mean" and has therefore succeeded in life by being truly virtuous. Those who treat others well will be guaranteed that they will be treated the same. Proud persons may be unjustified in feeling proud, if so, they are merely conceited. Another value that I feel is important for a person of good character to possess is ethics. Dalai Lama states, "The ethic of compassion helps provide the necessary foundation and motivation for both restraint and the cultivation of virtue. Some people may just find that life is easier if they don't have to be courageous and fight for what they believe in, they think it is easier just to go with the flow and agree with others to avoid conflict. Rather than shutting her blinds and whispering to herself, "What a shame!" she instead chased after the boys and retrieved the stolen bat. Ethically challenged people have no backbone and often give in pressures that may come their way to make their lives easier. Unlike another soldier who did this, Stockdale was unable to find it within his character to betray his fellow Americans. " When one begins to develop a true appreciation of the value of compassion, our outlook on others begins to change.
Common topics in this essay:
Dalai Lama,
Happiness Virtues,
Americans Courageous,
,
Jones People,
Virtue Pride,
Vietnam War,
World Epictetus,
person character,
Word Count,
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people self-respect,
value feel person,
imagine dreamland world,
ethic compassion,
honor integrity,
imagine dreamland,
fight believe,
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courageous people,
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