The Testing of Character

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.
          ~Abraham Lincoln

Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.

          ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 

I have been thinking a lot about recent events and the response people have had to them. First of all, Superstorm Sandy came and left horrible devastation on the east coast of the US. I have lots of family, family-in-laws, and friends who live there, so as the storm headed towards shore I found myself riveted to the Weather Channel, praying that nobody would be hurt or lose their home.

The aftermath of this huge storm left so much damage, with flooding and homes blown apart. Power was out for millions. As time as passed, the problems have continued because power remained off for days and days and days-- for some it still is off. We forget sometimes how dependent we are on good electrical and gas power.  Weather turning cold has added to the misery.

And just last weekend here in the Indianapolis area there was a massive explosion that leveled two houses in a neighborhood and damaged 80 more, 30 of which have been deemed uninhabitable. It killed two good people-- a school teacher and her husband. The cause of the blast has not been determined, though it is presumed to be some kind of gas leak inside the house (the furnace is the best guess at this point). While the devastation was not of the scope of the superstorm, it was right here where I live, which made it significant to me.

How people respond to these events has prompted many stories on the news and the internet. There have been stories of looting and people losing their tempers on TV...  But for the most part, the stories have all been about people reaching out to help one another. Here in Indy, stories of neighbors rushing to the explosion and dragging people out of burning homes to save them... and on the east coast stories of people volunteering to make and pass out hot meals at shelters, donating clothing and supplies, donating blood. First responders who risked their own safety to rescue people who didn't evacuate.

I just read a story on the Internet of one family in New Jersey who had a camper trailer that they used in the summer that apparently escaped  damage in the storm. They offered it up as a shelter for anyone who needed it, and a family of three, including an 8 year old little girl, literally moved into the camper. Their home had been completely destroyed in the storm.

Then, we hear stories of infidelity on the part of the CIA Director and several generals in the US Army. The stories have been all over the TV and newspapers, and have portrayed a picture of men who thought on some level they were invincible and could do anything they wanted.  These men were hugely successful, climbed to positions of power, and it went to their heads. How often have we seen this happen?

These two versions of human character-- the one version where people overcome adversity by forgetting their own welfare and help others, and the other version where people achieve prominence and power and lose it because they focused only on their own welfare and pleasure-- provides us with a valuable lesson. If you believe that character defines the greatness of any human being, then you must look beyond money, position and power to what lies within (and I am including myself in this-- important introspection!). And one sure way to find out what is within a person is to see what they do not when adversity strikes, but when they think no one is looking... And what do I do when I think no one is looking??