“Let not life become a comb that nature gives us after we have lost our hair.”
I do agree with the notion that life is like a teacher it teaches us many thing. We get to know so many things only after having some short of experience but always remember that don’t do any such thing in your life which cannot be rolled back further and which makes you feel regretted for your entire life.
“Truths don’t change with time and calendar.”
Let’s start talking about the normal 21st century youth generation’s thought. Today there is a concept of relative values and relative principles. But through generations, some values have crystallized as eternal and universal, which give us our clear “do’s and don’ts”. Today’s concept of relative values says, “Everything is OK. What’s right for me, may not be right for you.” If values are subjective and they keep changing from person to person and situation-to-situation, then they are not values at all.
Now let’s discuss some principles of honor:
Character: Character is the sum total of many qualities which reflect values. It is about integrity, honesty, ethics, conscience, loyalty, mental toughness, courage and consistency. It is a composite of qualities, not commodity. Character comes from following our highest sense of right from trusting ideals without being sure they’ll work. And a person of sound character would not do wrong even if he knew he would not get caught.
Consistency: Consistency in behavior reflects one’s sense of values. It helps us avoid confusion and comes from having carefully evaluated facts before arriving at a decision. IF a person behaves differently in different situations, he becomes unpredictable and in turn unreliable. This is erratic behavior and such a person cannot be trusted.
Integrity: The integrity of a person is not measured by his status or profession but by his conduct. It demands a clear-cut distinction between right and wrong with no grey areas in between. It requires moral courage in the pursuit of an ideal. A person with integrity is one-man army.
Courage: courage empowers. It is a tremendous tool when used constructively. Courage gives us ability to be assertive and resist being paralyzed. Courage is another name for the ability to face criticism. Courage is living by one’s own values. Few dimensions of courage are, courage to dream, courage to face reality, courage show grace in victory, courage to maintain honor in defeat, courage to listen, courage to speak out, courage to judge and courage to forgive.
I would like to describe one story here, which is taken from the book. It tells you how character and principles of a person matters more than money or his profession.
Abraham Lincoln was a very successful practicing attorney. Once someone asked him to take up a case. After hearing the details Lincoln said, “I understand your case. It’s technically strong but ethically weak. I cannot accept it because while I am arguing it, at the back of my mind all the time, I’ll keep saying to myself, ‘Lincoln, you’re a liar. Lincoln, you’re a liar’. I won’t be able to live with myself.”
My Views: His implied message was very clear, he wanted to say that he sells his professional time but not his conscience. In your own life you will face several such situations where time will enforce you to do something, which you also think, is wrong. There comes your will power, your conscience, and your character. If you can take a firm decision that yes I’m not going to this because it’s not ethically correct, then definitely you are a person of honor.
Book is divided into 11 chapters and after every chapter there is an Action Plan and Self-Evaluation Sheet. You can actually judge your own personality and behavior and after that you can improve on that. You can take most of the review as an excerpt of this great, inspiring, philosophical and honorable book.
Leaders face challenges. It takes mental toughness to endure inner pain. You need to plan for the best, be prepared for the worst, except surprises but continue to move forward anyway.
Players win, players lose, players prepare, players practice, players get hurt but players get up. No matter what the outcome is, players play.
I took inspiration from Mayank and so here goes my question, which I would like you to answer in comment section.
If you got all the wealth in the world and lose the soul – Is it worth having?