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
raneous to themselves. For example, a person should not compare their possessions with those of their neighbors or friends, which, I guess would be the opposite of that old saying: "keeping up with the Jones." People with self-respect already know that they are good enough and smart enough and do not feel that they need to prove themselves to anyone. Another value that I feel is most important in a person with good character is that of self-respect. A person with self-respect is a proud person who is not concerned with what others think of them and cares nothing at all for the opinions of insignificant persons. They instead are concerned with what they think of themselves. People who have self-respect have a high and correct opinion of their real worth, however one must not confuse this feeling with conceit or vanity. Proud persons may be unjustified in feeling proud, if so, they are merely conceited. The vain person delights in the admiration of others, regardless of the qualities in themselves that arouse the admiration. These two virtues are not compatible with the virtue of self-respect or pride. In fact they are the total opposite. In Richard Taylor's, "The Virtue of Pride," he discusses how people with self-respect, or "proud" people, do not compare themselves with others with respect to things that are ext! others on the basis of their sentient nature. Dalai Lama states, "The ethic of compassion helps provide the necessary foundation and motivation for both restraint and the cultivation of virtue." When one begins to develop a true appreciation of the value of compassion, our outlook on others begins to change. This alone can serve as a powerful influence on the conduct of our lives. For example, when we are tempted to deceive others, either at work or school, our compassion for the other person will prevent us from enterta
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1258
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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