Character Should be the Foundation of Reputation
We need to start elevating the social status of people with superior character NOT superior reputation because these traits are not equivalent. Recently, as a country, we have been choosing role models based on their reputation instead of their character and therefore, we have been heavily disappointed when their true character is revealed. The fragile relationship between these two traits is summed up in a quote by Thomas Paine in which he says, “Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.” When individuals focus on improving their character, they tend to be well-respected and reputable because God made humans attracted to those with character in His image. Building a character in God’s image however, takes hard work and time-commitment. Therefore, the people not willing to put in the work have found a way to cheat to the results without the base of a good character. These people work to build their outward image to make themselves ...