Guest Blog Post by Preeti Subberwal; Human Revolution Series – I

Change the character, not just the personality

“The most important ingredient we put into any relationship is not what we say or what we do, but what we are. And if our words and our actions come from superficial human relations techniques rather than from our own inner core self, others will sense that duplicity. We simply won't be able to create and sustain the foundation necessary for win-win relationships. "
Stephen Covey

"Human Revolution" term was first used by Mr Josei Toda, second president of the Soka Gakkai International, Japan to describe the process by which individuals

-gradually expand their lives,

-conquer negative and destructive tendencies, and

-ultimately make the enlightened state their dominant life-condition

Let’s try to understand Human Revolution from another perspective - changing our character, not just the way we project ourselves. The word “character” comes from a root word that means “to engrave,” and we are, in fact, the engravers of our own characters. Character is the sum total of a person's values, beliefs and habits.

Character ethic – imbibing principles like integrity, humility, discipline, justice and patience is the foundation of doing our Human Revolution. When people behave in a certain way (their external behavior), a chain reaction is set up within them (their internal response). To change that internal response requires building our character.

Why Character Matters?

The question arises, why should we bother to develop a good character? Good character is the key to self-respect, to earning the respect of others, to positive relationships, to a sense of fulfillment, to achievements you can be proud of and to success in every area of life. In his book, “Cultivating Heart and Character”, Tony Devine reports three life goals as sources of authentic happiness:

1. Maturity of character—becoming the best person we can be

2. Loving relationships, such as marriage and family

3. Contributing to society—making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Nobody can build our character for us

Nobody can build our character for us. Even parents and teachers can't reach inside us and build our character. Character-building is an "inside job." It’s a personal responsibility—one that lasts a lifetime. Everybody's character, yours and mine, is a work in progress.

We create our character by the choices we make

Good choices create good habits and good character. Bad choices create bad habits and bad character. Life is a series of choices we get to make.

• We get to choose how to treat other people and how much we learn from people, nature and situations.
• We get to choose how we handle adversity- let it crush us or take it as another opportunity for learning; a blessing in disguise.
• We get to choose whether we wander through life aimlessly—or find purpose and meaning & then live according to it.

Thus Human Revolution is beyond personality and even attitudes.  We should not just focus on changing our attitude that is displayed through our opinions and behavior but rather transform ourselves with deep introspection and determination. Only then can we begin to change our core values, and we can have a sense of purpose in our lives, along with true happiness and peace.

“Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will.”

Jawaharlal Nehru

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Preeti Subberwal is a Project Manager with Comviva (a Bharti Airtel group company), She also conducts life skills training programs at the company.