A CHARACTER'S CHARACTER

I learned this past Sunday that one of our youngsters at church got the lead in a musical being done at our local community theater this summer. I couldn't be happier for her. She really deserves this. Well done, Nessa! (No, that's not her name. Those who know her, know her name, and those who don't, don't need to know. I'm very protective about such things on the Internet. And for those who know, tickets go on sale June 16.)

I don't know if people realize how tough it is to perform either as an amateur or professional. First of all, you have to have talent, although there have been some people without talent who get to perform. (Anybody remember Mrs. Miller and her awful TV appearances singing "Tiptoe through the Tulips"? Or Tiny Tim with the same song? And there's always your Aunt Hildegard who insisted on singing "I love you truly" at your wedding.) But just having talent alone isn't enough. You have to work and develop it. Nessa gets full marks for hard work. Of course, she works hard at everything. Why else did she also get a President's Award for Educational Excellence recently?

It also takes persistence–going to auditions for parts you don't get and taking minor parts you didn't want. I know the story about Lana Turner being discovered at Schwab's Drug Store (or was it actually the Top Hat Malt Shop?), but that's not the way it works most of the time. So often directors won't give a new face a chance. Julie Andrews who starred on Broadway in "My Fair Lady" was considered too much an unknown to risk casting in the movie version. It went to Audrey Hepburn who couldn't even sing! (She was dubbed by Marni Nixon.) Nessa worked her way up over several years of productions before getting the lead. That's persistence.

Actually, this blog isn't about being a performer, per se, but about character. What stands out with Nessa is that she is a person of character–self-reliant, industrious, sensible, persistent, intelligent, inquisitive, honest, trustworthy, compassionate, not to mention musical, humorous, and charming. I am happy to report that while she is unique (I believe everyone is unique–one of a kind; there's only one of each of us, and in some cases that's a good thing), there are other young people like her. It's a shame that the media dwells on idiot teenagers who cause all sorts of trouble instead on the great number of teens who are terrific people. I have hope for the future because I see people who will do a good job of running things. I doubt that many of them could do a worse job than some of the block-head baby-boomers of my generation who are wrecking things now.

How do people develop a good character? I think it must start with a person's parents. They have to be examples of character. They need to give their children a sense of security while they are growing up. They need to encourage and support their children, and give them responsibility. (That's the kind of people Nessa's parents are.) And yet they can't become suffocating or try to live their lives through their children. Stage moms are scary. Dads who curse their kids at little league are scary. Parents who blame teachers, police, society or anyone else for their children's mistakes are scary. They destroy the integrity of their children.

And yet that's not everything. I've seen kids who don't come from supportive families turn out just fine. My guess is that there are other adults in their lives who help them. I also think some people are good at picking the right kind of friends. The right peers support each other in developing the right character.

But even allowing for all sorts of influences, the development of character is largely a choice an individual makes. The people I admire (like Nessa) make conscious decisions concerning the kind of persons they want to be. How come we don't make that more explicit in our society and especially in our educational system? There was a time, I think, when we worked in schools to develop persons of character. Now we produce people who can earn money and consume goods. We emphasize test taking. Ha! The real test is life itself, and that test doesn't require us to fill in circles with number two pencils. The real measure of a person isn't determined by percentile ranking on the FCAT, but by that person's virtue. As Aristotle wrote: "The good for man is an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue (Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, Ch. 7). The life of virtue is the key to true happiness.

OK, I'll get off my soap box now. Thanks, Nessa, for your inspiration. God bless you and your sissies on your graduation.

And to all of you, may the Lord God bless you on your journey and greet you on your arrival.

Wayne

The picture is a very nice drawing of Nessarose by Brittany Lynn that I swiped from her bolg. Nessarose is a fictional character. The person behind Nessa in this blog is real.