This may seem odd in a society where skill leads to fame and well-known people succeed despite their transgressions, but even authors who encourage worldly success place character above skill. Author Stephen R. Covey defines character as being made up of the principles and values that give your life direction, meaning and depth. You know the difference between right and wrong based on inner traits of integrity, honesty, courage, fairness and generosity. Phillip Eaton, president of Seattle Pacific University, echoes these thoughts in a column written for the Seattle Times. Competence can make the trains run on time, but only character, based on enduring values, can make our society something more than efficient.
Good character leads to goodness.
Good character brings health, life and hope. People will always get hurt in the presence of bad character. These writers agree that our character is what shows when we are put to the moral test.