Character is worth your weight in gold

Character is the backbone of each one of us. It is the foundation on which the whole edifice of our personality is built. One who has a strong character will hardly face any crisis. Lack of character will tempt us to resort to devious and unethical means to amass wealth. This may land us in a soup. Many people initially succeeded in amassing huge wealth compromising on principles and character. There is a great aphorism: When wealth is lost nothing is lost. When health is lost something is lost. When character is lost everything is lost. Human history is replete with legions of examples of people who died of penury and disgrace. Harshad Mehta made billions manipulating the share market but died very young. Telgi famous for his stamp paper scandal died in the jail with no one to provide solace. Bad character corrodes our personality and lands us in a quagmire of misery. Building a character is arduous and tough. But once we commit to this onerous task the rewards are astounding. Character creates a roadmap for us. If that compass is in place we will not swerve from the path of righteousness. Character and reputation are two different things. Character is like a Rock of Gibraltar and takes us through tough times. Reputation on the other hand is what people grant. A strong character is formidable and can save many hiccups and troubles. Reputation is a shadow, and character is solid and metallic. Abraham Lincoln had a very strong character and that is why it made hi m one of the best presidents of USA. Those who are weak on character may fall prey to any temptation. Men of character are steely and have immense temerity to take on any crisis. Those who are of suspect character may compromise on principles and manipulate even their near and dear ones. All those who perpetrate evil and violent things are of shady character. One may wear a façade of gentleness and may resort to shenanigans and chicanery but will eventually get caught in the cobweb of their own. Of late it has become very rare to find men of character as everyone is out to grab wealth by resorting to vile means. Hence there is a lot of trust deficit. Character is at a premium. Even people ridicule men of character as being of the bygone generation. However, for any society and humanity to survive we need everyone to have an impeccable character. All the mayhem, violence, hatred and acrimony are due to conspicuous absence of strong character. We need to honor character and come heavily upon dubious characters. We need to besmirch the bad characteristics so very ubiquitous in modern times. Now-a-days living a normal life has become

arduous as to repose faith in anybody has become very tough. We have fly by night operations aplenty making it difficult to have transparent dealings. We are always on the tenterhooks and precipice that we may not fall into the honey-trap. If we waste so much of energy trying to protect ourselves from the conmen, how can we live a blissful life. As per Hindu mythology Lord Ram is depicted as a paragon of supreme character ready to do any sacrifice on the altar of humanity and principles. On the other hand, Ravana though very learned was devoid of good character and is besmirched by Lord Rama. In most of the religious tenets of the world character has been praised to the apogee. Its time we all honored and revered character as it is the hallmark virtue of a thorough gentleman. This virtue is a default one as it assists in burgeoning humanity and promotes goodwill thus paving the way for a congenial atmosphere in the society. Character means a bundle of virtues. We need to teach this as one of the subjects in schools and colleges. Of late the emphasis is more on amassing wealth at any cost and character is thrown to the winds. As it is said charity begins at home so is the home launching pad for character building. Our children emulate our examples rather than listening to our empty admonitions. If our character is good then the whole wealth of the world can not buy it.