CHAPTER XIII - CHARACTER
Character is the sum of an individual's moral qualities. Among these both his virtues and the sum of spiritual values gained in previous incarnations are outstanding.
This valuable quality indicates the levels of human spirituality which can be measured by the firmness and rectitude displayed in everyday life.
Honesty in business dealings or in other areas are not the only measures of character. Character is also gauged by uncompromising aversion to cowardice, intrigue, envy, ambiguity, falsehood, disloyalty, treachery, in short, all undignified actions.
There are, in reality, few human beings endowed with a truly spotless character. This is because faultlessness cannot be taken for granted until the last incarnations in human form.
Educated individuals are not necessarily endowed with good character because many of them use education as a tool for deceit.
However, the advantages and even the need for education and culture cannot be denied. They contribute largely to the development of intelligence and of reasoning capacity, the means by which the spirit analyses, compares, infers and arrives at conclusions in the search for truth about life.
Character is one of the most precious assets of the spirit, however, by no means easy to build. On the contrary, it requires long periods of meditation during many incarnations in the course of which ideas sink in under the herd test of experience.
It is only after enduring much disillusionment, grief, injustice and ingratitude that man is able to measure, in the innermost recesses of his soul, the extent of human wretchedness. Then, disgusted, he rebels against it.
Thus, having known and experienced suffering, the spirit gradually frees itself from evil actions and, through enlightenment and conviction follows the rigid tracks of a flawless conduct.
Man can develop his intelligence in any field of activity, be it in the literary and scientific circles, or in factories, business, agriculture, schools, shops, or in the home. Any honest working environment provides frequent opportunities for character refinement, always at a normal progressive pace. There is no room for radical change or instant regeneration. However, man will not accomplish anything without effort, good-will and, above all, an enlightened awareness coupled with a sense of duty and a desire to do his best.
Parents and teachers who are capable of transmitting to their children and students the vivid and high-sounding language of example, in regard to rectitude, will exercise and exceptional influence over them which will translate into esteem, obedience and respect.
It is no overstatement to say that the world needs more and more competent, honest parents and teachers. Those who are really so, have excellent tools in their hands which help considerably to mould the character of teenagers under their guidance.
There are parents who are inferior to their children in character. There are also those who are teachers in name only because their sole asset is their intellectuality. However, bad examples are not copied by people who have spiritual discernment to recognise them and reproach them. Parents and teacher of bad character on the one hand, and more evolved children and students on the other, follow different routes, each endeavouring to satisfy their own yearnings, be they sickly and vicious, or beneficial and purifying.
A teacher's task is not limited to academic training. School, as an extension of the home, imposes on teachers the unquestionable duty of instilling in students' minds the edifying concepts that will make them good citizens.
If the action of teachers in the building of their students' characters is highly praiseworthy, much more so is the role of parents whose inescapable duty is to watch the overall character of their offspring during childhood because that is the best stage to assimilate training.
MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD
In the definition of the lines of character, everyone should consider the avoidance of extremes, where equilibrium lies.
Good judgement, equity, common sense, punctuality, loyalty, harmony, courage, magnanimity, good-humour, dignity, gratitude, politeness, faithfulness, moderation, truthfulness, self-respect, respect for others, zeal, all of these are qualities which, if properly cultivated, compose a prime set of spirituality ennobling virtues. It is to these virtues that man turns when he feels the desire to acquire them in order to mould and enrich the spiritual complex which accounts for a refined character.
Fear and recklessness are two extremes. In their middle lies courage, one of the components of character.
All moral attributes are at equal distance from these two extremes. The prodigal and the miser are at opposite extremes, whereas the moderate remains in the centre. This is the ideal position for all persons of good character.
Also in the same extreme positions are the negative attributes that debase the spirit whereas in the centre shine the positive, ideal, constructive attributes which ennoble the spirit and promote its growth in the upward scale of evolution.
Ill will and worship are also extremes, like prodigality and miserliness, but friendship and virtue play an outstanding role in the middle.
Men and women both fall down the sides of dangerous abysses because they do not realise that between two equal opposing forces there is always a central point of equilibrium where they should remain to enjoy its fruits.
Both ill will and worship create deplorable situations. Ill will arises feelings of aversion, hatred and revenge which carry with them the most harmful consequences for the individual who entertains them. Worship leads to fear, subservience and humility, to repression of initiative, alienation of will, and lack of self-confidence. Both ill will and worship bring about spiritual discredit and a glaring invalidation of self-worth.
Both of the feelings mentioned above slow down evolution or even halt it completely, which is very detrimental to character. To work towards betterment of this great, incomparable attribute promotes accumulation of immeasurable spiritual riches.
As already said, material possessions remain on Earth. The same is not true of spiritual possessions. The latter never separate from those who know how to accumulate them. And the best fortune man can claim is the one formed by noble actions that always reflect greatness of character.