Yesterday I wrote about a person from my past. In reading the comments about this person a few things became evident. Some people disliked this person, a lot. Others found this person amusing and some were somewhere in the middle. My own contact with this individual was limited so I reserved judgement. Those comments did make me think however. It occurred to me that we seemed to have quite a cast of characters back in the day. At least it seems that way. I began to wonder why this should be ?
All those people possess a common trait, strength of character. They were all confident of themselves. True that some may have been artificially reinforced in their belief, but confident they were. They all had something to teach us. These characters had a role and it was more than to amuse. There was an honesty about them and definitely a lack of pretense. Two strengths worth emulating.
I, along with others, were often amused by their antics. Sometimes it was just the way they dressed and at other times there outlook on life that provided this amusement. They had the power to illicit sympathy at times, and at others raise my ire. The one thing that could be counted on was, they were consistent. If these people had been wealthy we would have labeled them "eccentric." They were not, so we just called them characters. A string of names goes through my mind. I'm sure most have passed on, but their memory lives. I knew some of their stories, heartbreak and loss, and others I have no clue. There were some that were just labeled as being a bit "simple ", not a politically correct description, but accurate. There was also little attempt to intervene with these peoples choices. There was no pressure to conform like there may be today. They were just accepted as they were.
Maybe it is just nostalgia, or maybe the facts, but I believe there were far more characters back then than there are today. It seems we are quick to intervene these days. We offer our " help. " We try to make these people conform to our standards, even when their standards are not necessarily in conflict with our own. We want them to march to our " drummer. " We can't seem to just let them be. I do wonder why this should be so ? What has changed that compels us to act in this way ? I don't have an answer for that.
Now, there are a few characters left around. I'm hopeful there always will be. I know we can never return to the past, but we can learn from it. And from these characters we should learn about self confidence. They were all self confident and had no shame in them. There were what they were and were proud of it. I think that is the most important lesson to be learned from these characters. To remain true to yourself. I would much rather be remembered for that trait than for any artificial gains I may have accumulated. Truth in character makes a lasting impression.
All those people possess a common trait, strength of character. They were all confident of themselves. True that some may have been artificially reinforced in their belief, but confident they were. They all had something to teach us. These characters had a role and it was more than to amuse. There was an honesty about them and definitely a lack of pretense. Two strengths worth emulating.
I, along with others, were often amused by their antics. Sometimes it was just the way they dressed and at other times there outlook on life that provided this amusement. They had the power to illicit sympathy at times, and at others raise my ire. The one thing that could be counted on was, they were consistent. If these people had been wealthy we would have labeled them "eccentric." They were not, so we just called them characters. A string of names goes through my mind. I'm sure most have passed on, but their memory lives. I knew some of their stories, heartbreak and loss, and others I have no clue. There were some that were just labeled as being a bit "simple ", not a politically correct description, but accurate. There was also little attempt to intervene with these peoples choices. There was no pressure to conform like there may be today. They were just accepted as they were.
Maybe it is just nostalgia, or maybe the facts, but I believe there were far more characters back then than there are today. It seems we are quick to intervene these days. We offer our " help. " We try to make these people conform to our standards, even when their standards are not necessarily in conflict with our own. We want them to march to our " drummer. " We can't seem to just let them be. I do wonder why this should be so ? What has changed that compels us to act in this way ? I don't have an answer for that.
Now, there are a few characters left around. I'm hopeful there always will be. I know we can never return to the past, but we can learn from it. And from these characters we should learn about self confidence. They were all self confident and had no shame in them. There were what they were and were proud of it. I think that is the most important lesson to be learned from these characters. To remain true to yourself. I would much rather be remembered for that trait than for any artificial gains I may have accumulated. Truth in character makes a lasting impression.
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