I want to write a bit about character and how you build it. It’s something that seems to pass over the heads of most people. How often do we pause to reflect on our lives and take a look at ourselves from a different perspective? When do we consciously decide to analyze our own moral character as it applies to the world? Not often. I’m guilty of living my life without pausing to check most of the time. Why should we?
Without pointing fingers at society or the rise of technology, I just want to say that the influx of social media has definitely influenced the way we portray ourselves to the world. It’s easy to pick and choose behind a computer. We select the best parts of ourselves and leave behind the “bad” parts; the ones we don’t want anyone to see. This is a lot harder to do in the physical world. When we’re able to pick so effortlessly, we forget to take in the “whole” of ourselves and systematically lose the ability to self-reflect in an unbiased way. We forget to think about how the way we react influences how others see us. Could this be evolution in progress? Where our personal interactions are buffered through digital means?
Individual personalities, behaviors, and mannerisms are important and I’d argue that they carry weight because it shows us a person’s true character.
It might not be the entire picture, but they’re pretty strong indicators. One of the most important things is the way you react to the stimuli around you. Reactions can be conscious or subconscious, but they always reveal something about a person. They often come from places where we have little control – the micro-expressions are very authentic. Just take a look at how we reflexively gag at things we think are disgusting or make that puckered sour-face when we bite into something extremely acidic. Sure, these might be totally involuntary and physical reactions, but they tell the world what we’re feeling at that precise moment. The puckered face and scowl shows that we’re feeling the shock of the acidity. The look of disgust tells the world that we are seriously grossed out. Similarly, the way you go about solving problems shows your character and how well you hold yourself together.
I’ve always said that life is rough. We’re all players in an unfair business. The inequalities shine through everywhere we look, but that shouldn’t stop us from working on ourselves. At the bare minimum, we should all be aware of others: we’re walking oxymorons, similar but different in every which way.
My parting words:
Work on your reactions. It’s not even just about how you portray yourself to the world. That might be important, but it’s really about how you see yourself. When you look in the mirror, you should be proud of the person you are because you have character. Watch the way you react to problems. Play it cool, keep calm, and pick your battles.
The post reactions appeared first on vincent tang.