Honor
“The highway to hell is paved with good intentions.” What happens when the stated intentions fall by the wayside? That’s when your character, or lack of it, will show.
The Grasshopper checked in on character this morning when he delivered this: “Honor is a lonely road.”
Let’s pretend your intention is to put out a drug that combats depression. Sometime after the launch you find that a noticeable percentage of users have committed suicide. If you delay a recall to wait for more evidence, you are unwilling to walk the lonely road of honor.
This isolated road requires more travelers in order for us to trust one another again.
There is a high level of suspicion in every layer of society from our neighbors to our national leaders. The only way it will dissipate will be for us to have the courage to walk the lonely path. This may have been what Lao Tzu meant when he said, “The longest journey begins with the first step.”
We can always congregate with people of good intentions – they’re everywhere! If we want to join with people of character, we have to risk walking the honorable path of honesty which currently doesn’t have too many footprints.
The cynicism that permeates our country and our world stems from a lack of character – the unwillingness to do the honorable thing, the unwillingness to be truthful, the fear of being an outcast.
People of character are not usually saints, but sinners, who have found out from experience that confession is good for the soul.
Character is not someone saying, “Look, be like me,” but rather “be more like the authentic you.” People have been conditioned to walk the path of convenience which is a circular path that keeps you bumping in to the same people and ideas that keep you mired in masking your character.
Be on the lookout for the exit ramp and find your way to the path less travelled. It’s the honorable thing to do and it builds character.
All the best,
John
http://GrasshopperNotes.com/blog
http://cdbaby.com/cd/johnmorgan
http://www.cafepress.com/grasshoppernote/3580301
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