I ran into this quote recently, and I quickly became enamored with it: “Be more concerned with your character vs reputation because character is what you are, reputation is merely what others think you are.”
My friend Haru-chan asked “But what if your character IS your reputation? Good question, eh?”.
I replied with: “Not really. I mean, I get where you’re getting at, but ultimately people are going to think what they want. I thought about this too when I first saw the quote, but then I thought Well, I know an awful lot of people who still get their reputations tarnished due to ignorance/fear/closed-mindedness/etc of their actions/beliefs/yaddayadda“.
Comments are more than welcome. :-) There was more that I wanted to say, but by now I have forgotten.
And on a random closing note…
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Character vs Reputation argument is based on the deeply religious-rooted idea that it doesn’t matter how others perceive you in this life, ones true nature will define your life after death (either via reincarnation or eternal afterlife).
In reality, your reputation is akin to your appearance. It will change throughout your life, in part due to your action or inaction. Your character, on the otherhand, is more like your weight. A good weight is healthy, and if you let your weight run to either extreme, it will be unhealthy. Likewise, a good character is found in balance and moderation, with extremes resulting in unhealthiness.
The plain truth though is that people judge you on your reputation, not on your character, just as they judge you from your appearance, not your weight. If your goal is to live a long, contented life, then certainly a good character is of import. However, maintaining a provocative and powerful appearance or reputation will grease the wheels of social life and gain you access to any mortal desire.
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