Character matters.
Some people show up when they’re sick, when times are tough, and the chips are down. They work hard, play fair and make honest, if unintentional mistakes. They keep their word, go beyond the basics and are reliably admirable.
We call them people of character.
Other people show up and make you sick. Their words are cheap. They keep no commitments. They don’t hesitate to lie or spin to make a buck. They take what they can, and care not for consequences. They believe themselves renegades, when in fact they are villains.
We once called those people “characters.”
I’m old enough to remember when it was important to build a reputable character. Reputable meant something more than popular, more than powerful. To be authentic was to be honest, not mean. To be well-known for being interesting, not viral violating the common interest. It was said we should consider the content of someone’s character,
Not their public charade.
And then came the clowns.
A century ago it was doublespeak;
Now it’s called spin.
Along the way we dishonored honor,
And monetized mendacity.
The comments section demanded to be heard.
Whom we elevate, we get more of.
Whom we praise, we replicate.
Little wonder we find it hard to see the goodness on page twenty,
When the algorithm is optimized to feed us the trash.
I’m not ready to concede that character no longer matters. To do so would be more than signaling disapproval;
It would mean that we cannot do better.
And I don’t believe it.
Millions of non-headlining people did the right thing this week. Millions more quietly showed there’s a better way.
Too bad we don’t send all those stories viral; Men and women of good character don’t draw enough comments.
But they should. Because until we start praising the good, and disputing the disruptive, we’ll be stuck with the Characters with no character.
And what would that mean - not for how we hold others in our estimation - but
For ourselves?
The good news is:
When these characters show up,
You can comment, too.
What will you say?