October 2006
Favors and Sacrifices
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The carpenter lived in a humble cottage along the river. When neighbors needed help, the carpenter would do his best to help them.
A wealthy farmer lived next to the carpenter, and he prided himself upon being everyone's friend. He often asked favors of the carpenter, and the carpenter assisted when he could.
In the process, the farmer often lost or broke the carpenter's tools. Then he would buy a few tools and give them to the carpenter each Christmas. "I'm such good friends with the carpenter," the farmer would say, "I know he appreciates my memory of our friendship and the new tools."
The farmer's son became ill, and the farmer asked the carpenter to fetch the doctor. The carpenter saddled his horse and rode through the sleet to the next village. His knock woke the doctor, and the doctor agreed to come as soon as he dressed and readied his horse.
As the carpenter rode home, his horse slipped on the icy bridge, and the carpenter fell and drowned in the river.
At the funeral, the blacksmith's widow remembered how the carpenter repaired her porch after her husband died. The butcher remembered the carpenter's kind friendship and faithful patronage. The farmer said, "I'll always remember how the carpenter enjoyed the tools I gave him."
Let your actions rather than your words tell others the depth of your loyalty.
Adapted from Oscar Wilde's A Devoted Friend by Lauree Beth Stedje
The True Test
When a coworker wrongs you, your response becomes the clearest evidence of your loyalty. A loyal person bases commitments on moral principle and stands behind those commitments whatever the cost.
Recognize what your relationship with the other person should be, and guide your actions by that pattern. Employees should take personal interest in the employer's success, and this goal would preclude stealing trade secrets and wasting work time. Employers ought to recompense employees justly and support employees' responsibilities in family and community.
If someone does wrong, do not make wild accusations or react solely on the basis of how the situation affects you. Show loyalty by addressing the issue with the person directly.
Failure to address issues communicates indifference toward the relationship, and discussing the issues with others communicates betrayal. Do not hide behind easy modes of communication such as e-mail, and do not use someone else as a go-between or a messenger.
Appeal to moral principles in a way the other person can understand. If you need to discuss your thoughts with someone, find wise advisors who will have the courage and honesty to tell you where you are wrong.
This process may require some time and several conversations. If your influence alone cannot prevail upon a person to seriously consider the issues, involve someone you both respect. If this fails, you might have to step back for a period of time.
The difference between loyalty and bitterness lies in the loyal person's willingness to give the offender another opportunity to address the problems.
Veritas Vincit
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The Colégio Batista Mineiro (CBM) hosted Brazil's first Character Congress.
September 6-8, over 300 educators attended the 3-day event. They learned how Character First! works at CBM in Belo Horizonte.
In August 2004, CBM launched a Character First! program for grades K-12. Teachers, parents, administrators, and students report great satisfaction with the behavioral and cultural change since then.
"Character-training is now integrated into everything we do," explains Chaplain Rubens Cordeiro. "It is having tremendous effects throughout our school." More than twenty Character First! Education lessons are now available in Portuguese.
"When this school started almost 100 years ago, the founders had no idea how large it would become," said one administrator. "I think Character First! in Brazil is going to expand much faster than we think. We have great need for teaching like this."
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CBM has 7,000 students, and the school motto for CBM is Veritas Vincit—"Truth Wins!" A special newsletter was translated into English for those who wish to learn more about Character First! at CBM.
By Robert Greenlaw
Download the "Veritas Vincit" Newsletter
- PDF File size: 385k
2006 Communities of Character Conference
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More than 100 community leaders and citizens attended the 2006 Communities of Character Conference September 21-22, including a large delegation from Romania where many schools already use Character First! Education curriculum.
Speakers addressed the need for character, how to generate community involvement, the role of leadership, and the benefits cities such as Owasso, Oklahoma, have experienced.
A new publication is available explaining how Character First! can benefit your community.
DVDs of the 2006 Conference will become available so that you too can learn from the great speakers. The 2005 Conference DVDs are currently available.
Download the Character First! Introduction
- PDF File size: 1.5M
