It may be very difficult to determine what is right or wrong globally owing to the fact that this normally differs from own region to another depending on the concerned community’s culture and beliefs. For instance in the Islamic communities, it is normally wrong to wear any kind of attire that exposes the body, but wearing long robes and the veils which are considered as the proper clothing for the female is declared good character.
Character can be defined in simple terms as the behavior of a person that determines the kind of person an individual is. It normally indicates whether a person will efficiently achieve the goals set for him or her, be straight in dealing with others and whether the person will obey the rules and laws set by the organization, group or even community that he or she belongs. Character is normally developed as a result of learning a behavior from parents, teachers or peers. It normally relate to one’s attitudes and values.
Even though character is learned from childhood, it may vary or change as the individual undergoes different situations and experiences. For instance, a company manager may be very demanding and strict to his or her employees but liberal and understanding to his or her children. Character is normally taught from childhood and sometimes, it may be quite difficult to change the already learned values and attitudes. Individual may be forced to transform his or her character if it does not favor him or her. Take for instance a person who may have been brought up in a liberal kind of family set up in which him or her was allowed to make their own decisions; he/she may find it quite difficult working in an environment where he or she has to strictly follow orders. He or she may therefore be forced to change his or her character in order to be able to survive in this kind of environment.
Good character can be determined by assessing given traits in an individual. The presence of these traits makes a person to be considered as having good character. These traits include trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship among others. Trustworthiness implies being honest, reliable and loyal. An individual who cheats steals and is not loyal is considered to lack trustworthiness and therefore lacks a good character.
Respect implies being considerate or conscious of other peoples feelings when handling them. It involves being tolerant to other people’s indifferences towards you. People normally tend to associate respect to authority; the belief that respect should always come from the juniors to the seniors. Respect is two way and should always be reciprocated by the individuals involved. If this is not done, then the junior will simply develop a sense of fear towards the authority and it will no longer be respect. A person who shows respect to others is therefore considered to have good character.
Being responsible is being able to do what one is mandated to do. It also entails being ready to take accountability for ones actions or being ready to face the consequences of one’s decisions. Responsibility is a value that is never easy to achieve since it calls for a high level of self discipline and control. For instance a speeding motorist who happens to accidentally run over a pedestrian and decides to take the injured person to the hospital for medical checkup is considered responsible. He therefore has good character.
Fairness is about playing by the rules of agreement and not taking advantage of others. The antonym of fairness is unfairness which implies taking advantage of others especially the weaker ones. In organizations and groups there are some individuals especially those in the senior positions who capitalize on their junior’s ignorance or weakness and deprive them of their rights in these organizations. This is not fair; it is a bad character. Those who listen to others and respect the agreements have good character.
Human beings are conscious beings, and virtues such as kindness, compassion, a sense of gratitude and the ability to forgive are considered to be very important in human life. A show of compassion or kindness to a person in need is normally referred to as good character. The ability to show gratitude for the assistance given or to be able to forgive another person’s wrongdoing towards us is a show of good character.
Citizenship refers to the rights, privileges and duties of every member of a nation. A good citizen is one who pays his or her taxes, obeys the laws, votes, and endeavors to protect the environment. In order to be a good citizen one needs to have good values and attitudes which will create good character in an individual in order to make them good citizens.
Good character therefore refers to those values and attitudes that will enable us to be fair in our dealings with other people without taking advantage of their weaknesses or ignorance; being caring and showing compassion to those in need; being good citizens; taking responsibility of our actions and decisions; being ready to face the consequences of our actions; being honest and loyal; and being sensitive of other people’s feelings when dealing with them. It is important to develop good character since it provides a standard of measure for our behavior and also guides our actions.