Photographs ‘African Personalities in the Sporting Field’. Dan Twala!
Character – what is it? “I am planning to get married but I can’t find a suitable girl. I want a girl of good character and so far I haven’t succeeded in getting one.” The above words were uttered by one of the many young men we meet daily, who are in search of a rose without a thorn. There are many others faced by this problem of a good charactered girl. The question is: Will they recognize her when they happen to meet her? I always wonder whether these people really know what a good character is. One young man went on to say that the following ? make up what he thinks is a good charactered girl: 1) she must be very good natured and timid 2) she must always listen to what I tell her to do and should never, never attempt to contradict me 3) should not travel too much about the country but stick to her home surroundings 4) if at all she happens to move away from home, her duty is to report to me and give satisfactory explanation 5) take no interest in any sports as long as I am not there, eg tennis, talkies etc 6) I should not hear people talk too much about her name 7) she should have only female friends and not a single male friend 8) When other young men look at her with envious eyes she should frown at them and discourage their attentions 9) she should not be jealous even if I may be in love with half a dozen girls and she be the 7th 10) must be prepared to rest quietly and wait for my decision to marry her when I feel like it, that is when I have really proved she is a good charactered girl. It may take me approx. 2 to 6 years and I expect her to be patient because patience is the best of virtues so far as character building is concerned.
Many people confuse character with its twin sister – Reputation. Reputation is what other people repeat about you. Good things if they be your friends, bad things if they be your enemies. Character means the real man or woman. There are three sides to a man 1) what people think you are 2) what you yourself think you are 3) what you really are.
I wonder how many of those people who talk of a good character ever take the trouble of finding out the Real Person. I give them this warning: the diamond, the most precious of minerals, is found in the dirty clay many feet deep under ground and only after a great struggle is able to attain its brilliancy. The very soil on which we tread daily may be hiding precious minerals. The very people we meet in everyday life may be possessors of characters that are valuable. WHAT THEN IS CHARACTER? Who can help us with an explanation? madm
R. Roamer: ‘never mind you sisters. Even if some of you now wear trousers, smoke cigarettes and even stab one another for us, you will still be ladies.’
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