| "The quick
fixes don't add up to personality development"
"The natural law is that of Character ethic."
"...being focused only on techniques will be
seen as manipulative..." |
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Copyright ©
of R.G. Srinivasan
Jim Rohn wrote in his book The Five Major Pieces To
The Life Puzzle, it is by an intricate design of nature that success is a
condition that must be attracted and not pursued. We achieve rewards
and we make progress not by our intense pursuits, but by what we become, for it
is what we are that finally determines the result we attract. "To have
more we must first become more" is the essence of his personal development
philosophy.
Today when the lopsided model of personal
development where the stress is more on techniques, the words of wisdom culled
from all that have been written about success and happiness from times immemorial brings into stark
contrast everything that is wrong in the personal development philosophy.
The quick fixes
taught by innumerable institutions reflects the growing confusion about
Personality Development aimed at symptoms than any attempt on cause. It is no wonder that in the
knowledge millennium when knowledge is said to be doubling every eighteen month
we see more unhappiness and frustration than light of knowledge and wisdom.
The natural law is that of
Character Ethic.
What we are intrinsically. Success and happiness is achieved by becoming
more, more of love, honesty, justice, courage, integrity, humaneness, feelings for
the community, public
good and for the fellow human. What we see instead is a stress on the outer
personality, public image, public speaking, outward cheerfulness and pretended
positive attitudes. Whatever we might be inside, we are taught
to put a facade of manners, looks, gestures and language.
Imagine a situation where you meet an
unreasonable customer and you put out the most positive outward expressions while
you are fuming inside. It does not communicate the best of sincerity and
you lose the customer anyway. On the other hand if we exercise the
character ethic of being good to a fellow human being, we may try to understand
his unreasonableness and show more sympathy towards his views. When the
inside feeling is one of sympathy we may even point out his unreasonableness
without rancor or animosity and customer is more likely to understand our
viewpoint. The character ethic being strong there would be certain
equanimity and pleasantness and the customer has to respond positively to the natural
and open negotiation with him.
It is not that techniques are not important.
The various personal skills and techniques does have its value in bringing a
system and projection of our natural personal traits more effectively. What ever our
character should naturally
reflect in every act of ours. Whereas being focused only on techniques
will be seen as manipulative and whatever gains, will be short term and
eventually be seen as failures.
Emerson has brilliantly explained the
character ethic "What you are shouts so loudly in my ears that I cannot hear
what you say."
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