So ill skip the whole..i have been meaning to write and how its been a while blah blah etc...stuff coz well, it has..We are here now. I am writing this from a tent somewhere in Somalia and while i am tempted to write about the experience here and all (which i will write about someday) i thing i will write about the one thing that i believe is at the heart of all of us..Character. Yeap that word that is often thrown around loosely often used to mean behavior right? and to generally define somebody, you say that is their character. I read somewhere that if for example you know this person and they are really cool people and one day you learn that, i dont know lets say they are have a huge temper that you hadn't seen before or that they are really mean people, or that they are even killers...What the text read was that it was there character and it was just bound to come out. While i admit there is some level of truth in that i believe that we all have what i would like to call Character shapers.. the things that make us and mold us, shape our opinions on things...but lets start where i always like to start, lets define this thing called character..
i believe it is
a) the ability to do right, even when a wrong situation presents itself, especially when you are not under any supervision and
b) leaving something better than you found it.
We got the beat now lets dance...
Many times we are presented with opportunities to go against our word and our principles and even our word, when we are in private. Think about it, that temptation you get, the thrill that you can get away with it...It is always there, that why people leave double lives...but what is the problem? Its simply that a character flaw. You see character is not developed in the podium of the public, but in the pedestal of the private..It is the decisions you make when in private, when no one is watching that will shape your character. So many people complain about how they have been wronged or cheated or are shocked at what someone did or said, and say that is not his/her character, but in reality it is, you just never saw it or chose to ignore it, many times it is the latter. We have so many times been told to be like the eagle, well sometimes the eagle metaphor can describe us as well. The eagle has perfect eyesight and can see prey from far, when it is sure it has it, it goes for the kill. The same thing can apply to us, we see the problem from far, lock onto it but still dive in for the attack..(just think about that for a moment)
The bottom-line is this, whatever is done in the dark will soon come out,it may not come to haunt you now but in future the flaws in character in teh secret will be a public display..it will lead to a PDA, ( not what your thinking people) Public Display of Anger...because nobody will understand.. You see we thing that its just this once or, its just this week or, ill change eventually but before we know it we are trapped.Here is the cycle, a deed becomes a habit and a habit develops into your character, its becomes who you are.
There are some levels in life, some joy, some peace , that you cannot attain until you work with your character...So how do you do this? i thought you'd never ask
Character shapers, the most common is people! Friends. etc.. My mum once told me " pick your friedns with a toothpick" i liked that what she meant was be very careful who you let into your life who you listen to, who you allow to be around you, and eventually the environment you are in. Sometimes we make decisions and if we really look back it wasn't our decision, we talked to a friend and even if it went against our better judgment we took their advice because it seemed convincing but realize this, the decision you make with friend or a group of friends, you will live with alone. You see they will not be there once you make the decision. Think Alshabab here in somalia, they are in a group and they make a decision to say bomb a place...so then each goes but when you are dying, your teacher is not there, you are alone, you feel the pain alone, you go through it alone..yet the decision was made in a group..
That is why i believe we should practice part b of my definition of character, always leave a place, a person better than you found them. Always strive to better someones life, to inject new hope and life in them, to be help them. and here is the catch..that applies to you too. I realized that sometimes we are soo good to others we forget to just sit back and be good to ourselves and our bodies,CHARACTER dictates that you make yourself better, take an analysis of yourself, know your strengths and weaknesses work on them.There are things you do and you know they hurt people? work around them, compromise, sacrifice, in the words of Joel Osteen " become a better you!" That way you will develop such a strong character in secret by always doing the right thing to yourself and to others even when no one is watching or even when you know you can get away with it, that your character will shine in the midst of this crazy world.. You are a character shaper you, take care of yourself.
I tell you what, ill stop here got to go but i will continue this later. my parting shot is this : There are places you cannot go to , a level of peace and joy and love you cannot have, until you work on character."
ENOUGH SAID..
