There are a great many different subjects that get written about on this side of the internet. There is everything under the sun about picking up girls, getting in shape, making money, and a great many other topics. But one thing that you won’t hear talked about very much is character. Sure you’ll hear about moralizing and control methods but you won’t hear about true character and why it matters so much to you and me and the world around us.
You won’t hear about how it can change a man’s life or how it’s the thing that often is what keeps the darkness back. You’ll hear it mocked and taken out of context but that’s about it. But I want to look at this thing we call character from a different angle I want to talk about it’s importance and why it matters so much for us as men and as the world as a whole, as well as divorce it form its moralism and control methods its usually associated with.
First off a definition of character. Character means many things, it’s summed up by the actions that a man takes. The dictionary states it’s “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual” and I would say there’s a bigger emphasis on the moral. It used to be said to me that character is “who you are when no one is looking” the real you, the solidness (or lack of) that you have (or don’t) at your core. As you see these definitions stretch far beyond just moralism.
Character & Human Nature
Human nature is ugly, very very ugly. Many have done a good job of pointing this out. From the lowest street bum to the highest official in the land people are ugly at their hearts. At least (or especially) when not constrained by outside (or inside) forces. A good man/woman is hard to find, no matter who you are, what you’re looking for, or where you live. These are factual statements. However the error that most fall into is thinking that human nature is all that there is and there is no restraining force to it.
For example take “hardcore” feminism or the more “hardcore” aspects of the manosphere. According to feminism men are all evil and will rape and abuse you if given the chance. According to the manosphere all women are evil whores and will divorce rape you and cheat on you if given half a second to do so. And so on and so forth. And yes if simple biological functions are all that make humanity up then this could very likely be the case. But it’s not, it’s only part of the story.
There are laws, but those laws are failing and a lot of this is being pointed out. Laws were once put in place to keep man in line and societies strong and healthy. Now many laws have been changed to be the opposite that and even help facilitate the worst aspects of human nature. This is where many draw the arguments such as don’t get married because marriage laws benefit the woman to do whatever she wants (cheat/divorce rape/etc.) and there is much truth to this. But again not the entire story. Laws form as a external barrier but there is an even stronger internal barrier that can be created.
Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
And this barrier is character. Granted character is rarer than gold (but 100x more valuable) but it’s something that seems to be taken out of the equation. If all there is, is human nature and the laws that restrict it man would be in a hopeless state. Then the order of the day would be nihilism. If our only hope was in biology and the laws of man we’d then be hopeless. However with things like character, honor, and integrity we can transcend the lower parts of our humanity. And these are traits that are worth more than any other.
Whether you want a man to be part of your tribe or find a woman to live a life with character is going to be of the highest importance. It’s because of character that we can have nice things, it’s because of character that humans can function together in a high order and high society. It is because of character that allows us to transcend the lower parts of our humanity and become “a little lower than the angels”. This isn’t some rosy talk either, this is tried and true stuff.
Don’t let the word character be taken by the spineless moralizers, let it stand for its true meaning, and therefore retain its true power. Character is saying what you mean and doing what you say, and a whole lot more. It’s being solid as a man. And if you want the good things of this world you’ll have to cultivate it in yourself and look for it in others. Remember that like attracts like and you get the work that you put in.
Is Character The Answer?
To be honest character alone isn’t enough, it must be attached to wisdom and strength. A man with character without strength will be trampled over and a man with character but no wisdom will be tricked and led astray. It’s men with all three that’ll make the crucial difference. It’s men with all three that keep the good things here. And whatever you want in life you won’t go wrong but cultivating these three things within yourself as well as looking for it in all of your associates.
You’ll find few that have any of the three much less all three. But strength and wisdom are easier to teach and develop than character so your best bet is finding those with character and helping them with development in the other two areas. So no character isn’t the full answer, but then again I don’t necessarily think any one thing is (at least that’s useful for discussion). But understand that character counts and its character that allows so many of the goods of life to happen. And character isn’t being some religious dork it’s far more powerful than that.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
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