Character Is Important

By James Rudy Gray

Chicago Sun Times columnist Sydney J. Harris wrote, “Since most of us would rather be admired for what we do, rather than for what we are, we are normally willing to sacrifice character for conduct, and integrity for achievement.”

If that statement is anywhere near accurate, our culture is in a world of trouble. I recently asked several people if character was important. Everyone said yes. Then, I asked a second question, “What is character?” That is when things got interesting. Some gave a partial answer. Others were stumped altogether. It is a fair question and one that requires some thought. In our age, we throw out words that sound good even if we don’t actually understand what they mean.