Character By Any Other Name...
Now, I'm sure Billy Shakespeare is rolling in his grave, but I think he'd understand my paraphrasing of his line from Romeo & Juliet.
I want to expound on that subject (character, not roses) today, but first, hit the lights and sirens, partner...we've got some "action on 'da streets" to talk about.
** Another shooting in a Fort Wayne apartment last night:
Here's the link to this story.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100121/LOCAL07/301219935/1043/LOCAL07# If she dies, that will make homicide #2, in case you're also keeping "score".
** Repeat offender finally gets nailed...AGAIN.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100121/LOCAL03/301219947/1039/LOCAL03
And here is a recent MUGSHOT of this despicable little punk-ass perp.
Now, if you come away from reading this story with only ONE thing, let it be this:
DO NOT go buying those ugly-ass baggy pants with the bling on the butt (or when they sag low enough...the thighs), because you CAN be ID'ed.by the "design" on those pockets.
Besides, you LOOK LIKE A FOOL WITH YOUR PANTS ON THE GROUND.
(here's the video link for this wonderful little ditty)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMwhl4IrPNc
You have to admit..."General" Larry Platt is onto something here...!
** The latest bunch of "newbie" neighbors" I mentioned yesterday are finally settling into their "freebie crib" and have hung the cleanest bed sheet in the upstairs window...so it's official now...LOL.
(more ghetto trash to keep watch of)
Curiously, they seem to be "friends" with another bunch of yahoos DOWN the block (with US caught smack dab in the middle)...gonna be a really "fun" summer (ahem)...unless THEY move..strictly for THEIR health, mind you.
If anyone wants to see REAL reverse-racism (practiced daily)...stop on down to MY part of Fort Wayne...you'll see it (but never hear about it in the local lame-stream media). That's just the way they roll these days. Oh, and feel free to count the number of small torn plastic baggies along the streets where those crack rocks came from...that should provide a nice diversion.
*** Now...I mentioned all those things (above) for a reason...and I think YOU know what that reason is.
In every case mentioned, there is one thing lacking...CHARACTER.
That's not to say that every one of the people involved were NOT "characters"...they certainly fit that bill.
But we're talking about honest-to-God CHARACTER...the kind of stuff people tend to ADMIRE, and not chasten or chide.
People CAN have a bad character...we call them CRIMINALS...or PERVERTS...or worse.
They are referred to as "Having a LACK of character", though, so you get my drift.
I spoke about CHARACTER being like a HOUSE...with the furniture, appliances, utilities and all that.
What makes all of us "us", is what our "house" is made of...and what it looks like. If you have no real character, your life is probably like a rundown apartment with one lamp, two bulbs, a mattress on the floor, and a cellphone...and that's it.
Now, like ANY person concerned about the place in which they dwell, you're going to need some things to get the ball rolling...especially if you're "building" this place from scratch (a good idea).
First up, you're gonna need some PLANS...much like an architect's drawings.
Nothing worse than having the plumbing at ONE end of a house...and the bathroom at the OTHER, with no pipes in between, so you need to coordinate where things will go, how they will be hooked up, and how easy they will be to use.
And the roof will need to be ON TOP of your house...ask anyone who's been rained on.
You need a sense of DIRECTION, and having plans makes that job a LOT easier.
This "plan" of yours can be as easy as wanting to make oneself better...and considering the human condition, that's what every one of us SHOULD be trying to do every day. And it's readily able to be achieved.
Next, you're gonna need some TOOLS to build this place, right?
Doesn't have to be the most expensive ones, or even POWER tools...just ones that will WORK for you.
And for God's sake...don't ever try to drive a damn nail WITH A SCREWDRIVER!
It's always THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB, kapeesh?
When building CHARACTER, role models make fine "tools", whether it's a parent (or both), a clergyman, an educator, or another relative like an aunt, uncle, or grandparent.
Heroes tend to fit this mold, as long as they are heroes of the TRUE sense, and not some "anti-hero" we hear about today.
Sports figures and rap or rock artists do NOT make the BEST role models...not like they USED to anyway. I mean I DO (still) like Ted Nugent...he never let any member of his bands use drugs...and he's a PATRIOT...gotta love that!
More tools you're going to need are the ENVIRONMENTS you surround yourself with. Are they conducive to POSITIVE behavior and self-betterment? Or are they detractors from the tasks at hand?
This is where a lot of people grab that screwdriver for that nail that needs hammering.
If you cannot apply yourself to developing your character in a positive fashion, put that damn screwdriver down and grab a hammer!
That nail ain't gonna go in that wall of yours any other way.
Now, you might notice a "common theme" here...namely one of APPLIED LABOR.
Well, I never knew anyone that didn't build ANYTHING without using some elbow grease, a little muscle, and getting one's hands a little filthy along the way. And it's at this point, that many people get frustrated, and decide to call in a team of laborers to do the job FOR THEM.
Someone once said that: "If you want a job done RIGHT...DO IT YOURSELF".
This can never be MORE appropriate than when you're working on your CHARACTER.
It's still YOUR "house", and YOU have to spend the most time in it, right?
So why not do the job the way YOU need to, and not sit back, and let others determine how YOUR "house" will go up (and hopefully remain standing), hmm?
All this is not rocket science...or some sort of magic bullet or panacea for success or personal development.
It's plain old COMMON SENSE...and believe it or not, we ALL have that.
Whether some of us decide to apply it is another matter.
And you can see the evidence of that lack of involvement all around you....JUST like the stories I mentioned above...and JUST like the neighborhood I've seen retreat into a societal decline for a dozen years.
Building character IS hard work...but what results from an endeavor such as this reaps personal benefits almost beyond belief.
You might not be able to cure the common cold, or solve world hunger tomorrow, but YOU will be a much better adjusted individual, able to make much better decisions for you and your future.
Others might castigate you, belittle you or otherwise demean you for having a developed sense of character, but they ARE NOT YOU, and they will have to find their OWN way, as best they can.
But at least, YOU will be better equipped to help THEM, should they ever need it, because you've become comfortable with helping yourself..
And the last time I checked, real AMERICANS have always been a helping people.
Since the inception of this nation, we have helped one another...and been damn good at it. We've helped strangers in other nations, and been damn good at THAT, too.
It stems from CHARACTER...who WE are...how WE view ourselves and what WE do to become more than we were the previous day.
Without character, there is no "house" to dwell inside of, or invite others into. We are emotionally and psychologically "homeless" without this thing called CHARACTER.
And I for one could never envision myself living in a refrigerator box under some overpass, claiming that's really cool.
We need to remember that our character is within us as well as outside of us. It becomes the quintessential part of all the wisdom, knowledge, morality, ethics, integrity, and honorable behaviors we have gleaned from this little journey we call LIFE.
And others will see this as well.
We are on display...to ourselves as well as our fellow man.
Always try to make a good impression.
Do well, make a difference today, and...
Stay safe out there, America.