Cultivating Character

Growth is something we regularly observe and admire in nature. Consider the great Redwood forests of the American west, or any forest for that matter.  One stands in awe of the magnificence of towering trees and understand that these grand structures did not appear over night.  They grew over a period of years from insignificant beginnings as tiny seeds.  This journey from insignificance to magnificence make trees and their life-cycles excellent metaphors for the process of personal development.    Unmovable and unshakable a tree is the perfect symbol of a firm character. They are permanent fixtures in their habitats. Landmarks that can withstand almost anything only to occasionally fall victim to the most extreme forces. That is how we perceive individuals of good stature.  Firmly grounded, of unmovable and unshakable character even under pressure. That is why sprinkled throughout the pages of the Bible are agricultural illustrations that ...

Our new story comes from an old one found in the pages of the Bible. Why the Bible? because in its pages there are many stories that resonate with people. Stories that provide meaning to individuals who are in search of meaning. Portions of the Bible are often adapted by others, transformed, and represented in new mediums such as books, cartoons and video in which they have a new vibrance that is not necessarily captured in the actual biblical text. In fact, some may prefer these adaptations over the original written word. Some of the reasons for that may be personal preference or that the dated language of popular authorized translations are difficult for some to comprehend. What can not be doubted is the value attributed to this book. Some believe that the Bible is only valuable in the context of the religious traditions that regard it as sacred text. Stories compiled by nomadic tribes and imposed upon successive generations. Adherents’ to these religious traditions firm belief i...

         I was raised in a household who were members of a strict Christian church. We adhered to a regimented lifestyle in which all aspects of our lives were dictated by religious teaching. What we ate, read, the sports we played, the persons who we were to marry, our types of entertainment, where our children were to be sent to school, the clothes we wore and the jewelry we didn’t all were directed by the church. Maybe dictate is too harsh a word. The truth be told most adherents viewed these teachings as guidelines, the more liberal of the group viewed them as simply suggestions. It is difficult to say how many people strictly adhered to the teachings. As a child I assumed everyone did. So I did and I found them beneficial. A monk of sorts living a religious life of self-denial and obedience that cultivated a discipline in me that has directed my path to a successful life.   A good job, wife, a boy and a girl, dog, shadowbox fenced home in a gate...

     Life is a mystery. How to live it well may be a even greater mystery. Over the centuries many have tried to understand life and its origins, but more importantly how life came to be and for what purpose? These questions have sparked a quest that has been pursued by consecutive generations, each with their own wise people, spiritual leaders and philosophers devoted to providing solutions. Mainly through observation, these people developed ideas about possible answers that they would in turn shared with others. The ideas were first shared through the spoken word and oral history then through the written word. Stories that proposed answers to satisfy their curiosity.      A story seems to be the perfect mechanism. Stories provide a way to share information so that it is easily remembered, which is important to how we learn. “People learn by making sense of the environment and of stimuli around them," (Hammond, et al. (2006). How People Learn : Introduc...