Making Sense Out of Life and All

What makes human survive in the cycle of life? It’s the character. Character entails “to make a mark.” One’s character is his/her mark on the world. Strength of character enables us to do the right thing and follow our passion. Do the right thing regardless of the consequences, regardless of the temptation to do otherwise, if we are ill, or inconvenient, or no one is looking, or it costs money, or it costs friendships, or no one understands. It makes us follow our passion even if people disapprove, or if it doesn’t make us wealthy, or if we are ill, or if it is inconvenient, or if it costs money, or if it costs friendships, or if no one understands. What do I have to thrive on to strengthen my character? The character strengths and Virtues (CSV) handbook gives us some answers.

CSV handbook of human strengths and virtues, by the Values in Action Institute, represents the first attempt on the part of the research community to identify and classify the positive psychological traits of human beings. In the same way that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is used to assess and facilitate research on mental disorders, the CSV is intended to provide a theoretical framework to assist in developing practical applications for positive psychology. The CSV identifies six classes of virtue (i.e. “core virtues”), made up of twenty-four measurable character strengths.

CSV defined character strengths as satisfying most of the ten following criteria. Character strengths are

1. fulfilling;
2. intrinsically valuable, in an ethical sense (gifts, skills, aptitudes and expertise can be squandered, but character strengths and virtues cannot);
3. non-rivalrous;
4. not the opposite of a desirable trait (a counterexample is steadfast and flexible, which are opposites but are both commonly seen as desirable);
5. trait-like (habitual patterns that are relatively stable over time);
6. not a combination of the other character strengths in the CSV;
7. personified (at least in the popular imagination) by people made famous through story, song, etc.;
8. observable in child prodigies (though this criterion is not applicable to all character strengths);
9. absent in some individuals;
10. and nurtured by societal norms and institutions.

The organization of these virtues and strengths is as follows.[1]

* Wisdom and Knowledge (strengths that involve the acquisition and use of knowledge)
o creativity (personified for example by Albert Einstein)
o curiosity (personified for example by John C. Lilly)
o open-mindedness (personified for example by William James)
o love of learning (personified for example by Benjamin Franklin)
o perspective and wisdom (personified for example by Ann Landers): the coordination of “knowledge and experience” and “its deliberate use to improve wellbeing.”[2] Many, but not all, studies find that adults’ self-ratings of perspective/wisdom do not depend on age.[3] This stands in contrast to the popular notion that wisdom increases with age.[3]
* Courage (strengths that allow one to accomplish goals in the face of opposition)
o bravery (personified for example by Ernest Shackleton)
o persistence (personified for example by John D. Rockefeller)
o integrity (personified for example by Sojourner Truth)
o vitality (personified for example by the Dalai Lama)
* Humanity (strengths of tending and befriending others)
o love (personified for example by Romeo and Juliet)
o kindness (personified for example by Cicely Saunders)
o social intelligence (personified for example by Robert Kennedy)
* Justice (strengths that build healthy community)
o active citizenship / social responsibility / loyalty / teamwork (personified for example by Sam Nzima)
o fairness (personified for example by Mohandas Gandhi)
o leadership
* Temperance (strengths that protect against excess)
o forgiveness and mercy (personified for example by Kim Phuc)
o humility and modesty (personified for example by Bill W., co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous)
o prudence (personified for example by Fred Soper)
o self-regulation and self control (personified for example by Jerry Rice)
* Transcendence (strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning)
o appreciation of beauty and appreciation of excellence (personified for example by Walt Whitman)
o gratitude (personified for example by G. K. Chesterton)
o hope (personified for example by Martin Luther King, Jr.)
o humor and playfulness (personified for example by Mark Twain)
o spirituality (personified for example by Albert Schweitzer)

Source: Wikipedia

What keeps my strength in this lifecycle? I just learn from life believing in humanity’s capacity to make sense of it. I believe in goodwill for the sake of being good and not for any selfish motives to be saved in order to get to heaven. That, I can look straight to your eyes knowing that I never use the loaned authority to prove (that means will do everything to make it so for God’s glory) to others that unlucky and bad things happen to the people who do not believe in the hypocrisy of being a believer while taking advantage of the authority to convince themselves of their righteousness. I am a speck of dust in the vastness of the Universe who dares to make a point even if it costs misinterpretation of friends, alienation and deprivation. I try to see the purity in white paper more than the smudges in it. I believe in human’s capacity to create beauty out of imperfections. I believe in the value of leadership to create justice more than convincing oneself of good self-image. I laughed at my mistakes and feel entertained by the triviality of things. I value every life since I borrowed them from nature and there will come a time that I need to give it back to her without any bitterness by ensuring the future a chance to experience the joys of living. These are the things I wish to achieve, and I am enjoying the journey without regrets.