Character. What is character?

When thinking of myself it’s always the same slogan coming to mind, my “character defects”. I don’t go to AA but I’ve been there often enough to have had this little phrase find a niche in my head. I’m not a person of character. I’m a person of character defects. And it’s true.

I would wish endlessly to be able to call myself a person of character. But I think it’s much like wisdom. It can only be attained through time.

And looking up to certain people, they are indeed the older ones. Who wants to learn from a kid? Although that too is possible. Genius is born young.

What is character? And I haven’t done a study here, it’s just whatever pops into my head. - According to the USA TV channel it’s individuality. Being a character is almost like being unique. Being someone nobody else is. And in a sense that’s true. You could almost say that every human being is a character, if they would live up to it. Something most of us don’t. Which was Nietzsche’s point. The “superman” is not Superman. The “superman” is only one thing: really human. - Character equalling authenticity here. Or being genuine.

But character in the sense of character, that of being or having a type of “orientation” to yourself for others, that’s a quite rare thing.

According to the dictionaries I have character is an individuality, but somehow that’s not what I mean nor what anyone else means when talking about a person of character. Unless I’m at a loss a person of character is a person of principles, no matter the storm.

Who do I look up to? Certainly my father. A great man of principles and religious faith. Although he’ll probably not show up on political charts. One or two friends I consider role-models. And the rest is mere history. To mark Christopher Hitchens in history already is pretty tragic. But such is life. This man shaped a bunch of my thoughts, although I’m terribly not that radical. - Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Two people standing for what is right. Only one leaving. - Doctor Philipus Theoprastus Bombast von Hohenheim, better known as Paracelsus, ... encompassing everthing which thought is all about. - Shit. What about Luther? What about Churchill? - This were men of character.

Character is about individuality. But you can be an individual without character. And if you are, you can change it. - “Character defect” is not alcoholic, it’s universal. - The making of character can’t be bought. It’s attained through time.

Well, just some thoughts on a weekday afternoon. Thanks for the availabilty of a post anyway.

Would love to get your thoughts…

I think that the term “character” simply refers to one’s pattern and tendencies to behave in certain ways in or across certain conditions.  If you admire someone’s character, you like their pattern and tendencies to behave the way that they typically do.

I’m with TimB. “Character” is amoral—neither good nor bad, just a collection of traits or tendencies. Everyone has character.

I do think self-reflection is a great thing as long as it does not become an obsession. We should look at ourselves form time to time and ask if we are who we want to be. But it can become paralyzing as well.

As is so often the case, when someone describes another’s character or morals as good or bad, they are making a value judgement based on their personal bias or idea of what is good or bad.

Occam

I think character is term for what ever people like about you; not everybody is capable of “character” IMO.

I’ll have to agree with Occam’s assessment.