TGT Desk
You must have always heard your teachers and parents advise you to be a child of good character. What does that mean to you? How do you identify a person to be one of good or bad character?
A person of good character is identified by a few qualities. Such a person is never rude to anyone. His or her personality is characterized by truthfulness, modesty and loving kindness. Such a person does not tell lie or engage in any corrupt activity. Honestly is another jewel on the personality of a person with good moral character.
Character is seen in every step of life. It is seen everywhere, from home to society, and in the nation and the world at large. People with good characters exert a positive pressure upon their fellow beings. They also think good of others, suggest best ways to solve problems and think of the collective welfare of all. Such people are always very important to every society.
People with good character are the ones who are needed to lead the society and the nation. Such people can work together with others, treat all with equality, and never corrupt their souls for any sort of illegal benefit. They keep themselves transparent. Since their souls are not corrupted, they always remain cheerful.
There are several instances to show how good moral character is always rewarded. Here is a short story for you. In ancient times, regions around Kapilvastu had the practice of choosing their leaders from people of high moral character. The regions called the republics had an Assembly, which consisted of prominent people. The Assembly used to select the next leader from among the citizens with highest degree of moral character.
During one of such selections, many people came. They presented themselves in front of the Assembly. They had to answer why the Assembly should choose them as the next ruler of the republic. First of all came a former army general. Speaking to the Assembly, the General said, “I was in the army for a long time. I know how to command. I have won wars.” Next came a landlord and said, “I own a huge land area where I have employed more than a thousand farmhands. I tame them so well with all my methods: physical, psychological and penal. I rule them with iron hands. No one raised a single word against me. They finish half the work before I woke up and work till late at night. I am capable of becoming the next leader of this republic.”
After the landlord left, a priest entered. He said, “As a priest, I did not allow people from other religions to enter our temple. I kept the temple pure and holy. I can recite long passages from religious books. I am learned.”
After the priest went away, a social worker came in. When he came, he did not come alone. He had other people with me. He said, “Sir, these are my friends. Without them, I cannot imagine my life. I live in a society, and these are my neighbours. He, there in the right corner, is a farmer. He grows grains and vegetables for us. He there, to his left, is a tailor. He stitches clothes for all. To my left, you can see this gentleman. He is a scavenger. He cleans our streets and keeps the surrounding clean. To my right is a doctor. He heals us when we are sick. Outside, waiting for me are milkmen, carpenter, barber, woodcutter, ploughmen, teacher and so on.”
For the Assembly, this was a new thing. Others came and went singly. Here was a man who had come with a group. The social worker continued, “We are of different religions and worship different gods. Yet, we move together. We visit each other’s homes when we have festivals. Our children walk to schools hand in hand, and we always support our jobs. We have made it a point to show the best moral character in the society. We are truthful. For us, cooperation, love, kindness and sympathy are integral parts of our lives. We do not take bribes, nor do we charge anyone higher than what is expected. In our village, there has been no record of violence over the past many years. We love our children and care for our aged parents, sick and disabled friends.”
Upon hearing the claims of the social worker, the outgoing ruler took the opinion of the Assembly. The Assembly suggested that it should ask the friends of the social worker to say whether his claims were true. Each of his friends smilingly said, all his claims were true, and the social worker was the one who had taught them the ideals of high moral character. Soon the Assembly came out with its decision: The Social Worker was the new ruler of the republic.
The Social Worker took over as the new ruler another day. As he was himself a man of integrity and high moral character, all his citizens started molding themselves into the best citizens of his country.