Character Matters
More than anything
“History has shown us that character counts. Character above all.”
― David McCullough, 2008
Growing up, I had a strong sense of character. It started at home, where I learned kindness, curiosity, spirituality, humility, gratitude, and other virtues.
It also extended into civic organizations I participated in, such as the Boy Scouts and Boys State1, where I learned about duty, honor, integrity, teamwork, and selflessness.
It seems that there is a crisis of character of late, where we are exposed to leaders of all kinds who practice greed, fraud, injustice, hypocrisy, gaslighting, cruelty, and cowardice in public without a hint of shame.
I’ve made it my business to work with leaders and their teams on character strengths, and I would hope that others follow suit.
These fall into six buckets that are taken from the four classical virtues: wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance, with humanity and transcendence added in.
“Public virtue cannot exist in a Nation without private Virtue, and public Virtue is the only Foundation of Republics.”
— John Adams, 1776
When John Adams first arrived at the White House on November 1, 1800, he arrived unceremoniously, with only his secretary in tow. The Executive Mansion was still unfinished, the plaster was still wet and only a handful of rooms were ready.
On that first evening in the sprawling place, he wrote a now-famous letter to his wife Abigail. It included the following two sentences, which Franklin Roosevelt had carved into the mantel of the State Dining Room:
“I Pray Heaven To Bestow The Best Of Blessings On This House And All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof.”
While Adams could be irascible, vain, and proud, he also knew something about character: it was he who nominated George Washington to be the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and recommended Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence.
He was the only presidential Founding Father who did not own slaves, as a matter of principle.
In “Speech on the Issues of the Presidential Election, 1888,”2 Frederick Douglass had something to say about character:
“In a Presidential canvass three things are always in order: First, we have to consider the character of the candidate… A man in the presidential chair should stand for something more than a lucky and successful politician. He should be one among millions—a model man; one to whom the sons of after-coming generations can be referred as an example to them.”
That’s something I don’t think we give enough consideration to. What leaders and heroes do we use as models for our children?
We have a hard enough time keeping them off of their devices and social media; I can’t imagine we’re over-indexing on pointing out leaders with integrity and character.
So when the president addressed the nation following the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, this section stuck out to me:
“You know, at the outset of our nation, it was the character of George Washington, our first president, that defined the presidency. He believed power was limited, not absolute, and that power would always reside with the people — always.
Now, over 200 years later, with today’s Supreme Court decision, once again it will depend on the character of the men and women who hold that presidency that are going to define the limits of the power of the presidency, because the law will no longer do it.”
My thoughts turn wistfully back to my days at Boys State, with my fellow idealists who were learning about civic duty and the inner workings of government.
I recall the scholarship I received from the American Legion and the couple of years I worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs, where I met and admired tough old men who had proudly served their country.
In each of these scenarios, I was surrounded by people who cared about norms and traditions, upheld by a common belief in character.
And now I have to wonder: does it matter anymore?
I hope so.
There’s so much to learn,
Further reading:
In Uncertain Times, Look for Character (from the Timeless & Timely archives)
Flaws, Issues, Assassinations: The story of character (Harper’s)
We are in a crisis of character, to be sure. My husband, Jeff, loves baseball and managed his sons' teams for many years. Once they aged out, he became an umpire. His knowledge of the game is encyclopedic and his judgement is superlative. Moreover, he wanted to serve the game, and the youth, as an example. Last week the abuse at the plate and on the bases by the coaches—and the parents—was so severe (for the nth time) he decided he's had enough. He says he believes that the imposition of rules is now perceived as an impediment to victory and thus should be challenged and flouted at every juncture vs. a benefit of having a knowledgeable and impartial arbiter to make—as best they can—fair and impartial decisions. A micro example of the macro, I fear.
yes, character still matters, very timely post