These Difficult Times

These days it seems as though we have lost focus on an important pillar in the makeup of society: strength of character. With all the corruption going on in the world of business and in the world of politics, it seems that we have lost our grip upon strength of character as a psychologically- and ethically-orienting principle.

By the term "strength of character," I mean moral and ethical character, and it seems that today there are many incentives not to be bad (public shame, fines, prison, capital punishment etc.), but there are few incentives to be good. In other words, being of strong character is not rewarded in any tangible way, that we are not “incentivized” to be moral creatures, that the men and women in power today are rewarded more often for their ability to disregard "common morality" than their strength of character, and that our society is now cast adrift because of it.

THE WEAK IN CHARACTER

When we identify a person who is weak in character, our initial reaction is very visceral, one of disgust, and we use the following expressions to describe them: no backbone, no balls, no guts, no courage, no sense of justice. Such people lack strength of heart and are emotionally crippled. We say they are immoral and corrupt. Corrupt? The idea of corruption contains the idea of cleanliness and purity, which we'll get to in a moment.

But when we suffer the presence of many such "corrupted" and "dirty" people, we watch on a societal level the weakening and collapse of justice, due to a general atrophy of honor. Today, instead of enjoying the vision, leadership, and morality of strong and principled men and women, we are surrounded by weak characters.

The enormous and seductive influence gained through following the easy paths to power causes an important cascade-effect upon our society: it creates a culture that breeds people of weak character. The very system we live in today reinforces our becoming weak and does not, in any tangible way (i.e. financially), create people strong in character or reinforce altruistic or ethical behavior.

But who, and what, are the strong in character?

THE STRONG IN CHARACTER

When you meet or hear about a person of strong character, it stops you in your tracks, doesn't it? Wow, we think, that woman! What a fighter! We note the moral fortitude of such people. We note their strength of character, their sense of indignation, their sense of honor, their moral imperative to do the right thing, and to strive to find out what is right. We note these people in our minds and respect them, but they aren't always rich people; they aren't always powerful; and they certainly aren't always physically beautiful — no, they are regular men and women who you know and affiliate with, the ones who stand up for what they believe in and make sacrifices for their principles.

There are several metaphors we use for those with strength of character. There is the general metaphor of being hard, or solid, some explicit, some obtuse:
“He’s a solid guy.”
“He’s a rock.”
“Get tough, get lean!”
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
“Ya gotta be a Teflon® pan. The stuff’s gotta slide right off.”

But people are not born strong. They are not born possessing a non-stick surface, as Teflon® pans are equipped. No, strong characters become strong because they are seasoned.

We often use the expression "incorruptible" for people of strong character. They cannot be corrupted or made dirty or tainted: they are always clean, pure, unadulterated, like unalloyed metal. Those of weak character, on the other hand, are often corrupted and made dirty. They are no longer pure or unalloyed, and it is this dirtiness and weakness about their behavior that disgusts the rest of us.

INCREASING STRENGTH OF CHARACTER

But what can we do to increase our strength of character? Are we doomed to always be weak in character? Can the weak ever become strong? The great sword-smiths of Japan use many techniques to strengthen and temper the steel they use for their blades. What can we do to temper our own character? What hammer blows can we apply to our own minds to strengthen our own character?

TEMPERING CHARACTER, SEASONING SKILLETS — A METAPHOR

One thing is absolutely for sure: there is no pill you can take that will temper your character for you. This work must be done by you, by hand: There are no shortcuts. In fact, it is because there are no shortcuts, it is because you must always do this the hard way, that we place such a premium upon strong character the way we do (or rather, the way we ought to anyway).

I would like to introduce a metaphor for strengthening character or tempering character: People Are Skillets. The metaphor implies that people are useful creatures that can withstand heat and abuse yet amazingly retain their original form and function. It implies that, like good skillets, people can be seasoned, which means to intentionally subject the object to adverse conditions to inure it.

Allow me to quote from someone who knows about skillets — chef and cookbook writer, Christopher Kimball. He discusses the best method to season skillets. Cast what he says in the context of tempering character:

"SEASONING CAST IRON COOKWARE. To season a cast iron skillet, most cookbooks instruct you to oil it and then bake at 350°F for 1 hour. This does not develop the type of deep nonstick finish you really need. The following technique is adapted from the one used by Barbara Tropp, who is an expert on wok cooking and author of The China Moon Cookbook. Place the skillet on top of the stove and turn heat to high. Tear off three wads of paper towels (two or three sheets each) and place near the stove with a bottle of vegetable oil. After about 5 minutes, when the skillet is very hot (the inside rim of the pan should also be really hot), drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil on one of the wads and rub the inside of the skillet, including the sides. The oil will smoke. Use the second and third wads of paper towel to immediately wipe off any excess oil, pressing down hard to burnish the surface. Be careful — the pan will be very hot. It would be best to wear an oven mitt to do this. Remove pan from heat and let cool for 30 minutes. Repeat this three times. (It does not have to be done all in one day.)

After each use, immediately wipe the skillet clean with a soap-free sponge. Place back on the burner (which has been turned off) to dry while you eat. Repeat the initial process (giving the pan only one coating) after each use until the pan is thoroughly seasoned and has a deep, lustrous finish, usually a half-dozen or so times." — [Emphasis added.] Christopher Kimball, The Cook’s Bible (Little, Brown And Company, New York; 1996.) p. 9. Buy this handy cookbook here.

THE USE OF THE SKILLET METAPHOR

What is the use of this metaphor? Its utility lies here: it means you can season yourself, that you can temper your own character and acquire that "deep, lustrous, non-stick finish" possessed by all well-used and heavy-duty skillets.

What kind of workouts can we exact upon our character? How would such a workout be done? Tune in soon...