CHARACTER:

THE MOST PARAMOUNT REQUIREMENT

OF THE HOUR
When we search the word “character” on web, we get 7,29,00,000 results under 0.68 seconds, but what
it really means still remains mostly ambiguous going through the first page. “Character”- more I found
about this word in a pocket book of 56 pages by swami Budhananda than In those 7,29,00,000 results;
it might not be because the results failed in relevance, but because they were too result oriented and
maybe fell short to answer the basic and innate question that arose as to what character really is and
why is it required. When we look into the teachings of Quran, Bible, Geeta or any other religious
scripture, it is rare to impossible that we find the philosophy of mindless production at the cost of
fellow beings, natural life or the entire human civilization than we find the philosophy of good deeds
towards fellow beings, purity of hearts or good karma-dharma, but yet we see leaders under the garb of
the populous consent and in their favor feeding the idea of hatred, doubtfulness and contempt towards
other in the name of preserving these moral values inscribed under these holy books. It is not that we
are ambiguous to this idea or that I am a wanna be intellectual trying to be smart here, but it is
something that we all know and I have seen within my friends from different religions and background
come to these very same conclusions every time these issues prop up, so what is it that has stopped
these moral values from superseding those negative ideas and values, I believe it is because of the fall
of character. The ideas in them selves are not good or bad, although they might be positive or negative,
just like under criminal law it is not the ‘act’ which is a crime but ‘mens rea’ or the ‘evil intention’, in
the same way it is not the idea of having more or being ambitious that is bad but it is the mindset which
directs our acts for achievement of these goals through malicious ways that negative and that is what
fall in our character is.