Letters: Character education needed

Recently, I had a discussion with a colleague of mine on the difference between personality and character.  The very next day, the learned writer Mochtar Buchori, in his opinion article “Beyond character education” (The Jakarta Post, Feb. 5) described character as the totality of values that a person actively assumes to guide his or her life, and therefore, character is very intimately linked with the value system of a person. As a consequence, mature people show consistency in their character. Wisely said.

I once read somewhere that personality can open doors but only character can keep them open. According to American author Horace Greeley, “Fame is a vapor. Popularity is an accident. Riches take wing. Only character endures.”

I fully endorse the view of Mochtar Buchori that character education should be imparted to children at elementary school level.  

I recall my elementary school days when “moral education” classes were conducted twice a week.
The students always looked forward to those afternoon story sessions. The storytelling was usually held in the gardens of the school, not in the classrooms.

In order to instill character in the minds of the children, the teachers used to narrate tales from the great Indian epics, Ramayana, Mahabharata and the like.  

Interestingly, a teacher is called guru in Indonesian. In India, a “guru” is also a teacher but, more often, he is one who guides us in spiritual matters. In that context, the teacher, with his great knowledge and wisdom, is placed on a higher pedestal, along with our parents in this order, “Matha, Pitha, Guru, Deivam” (Mother, Father, Teacher and God).  

Currently, in the rat race for fame and money (“greed”), there has been considerable erosion of traditional values in our society. There can be salvation only if parents, teachers, political leaders and religious heads become role models.  

What is modeling then? I am fond of quoting Stephen Covey, author of the much-acclaimed book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. He defines the traits of “modeling” through these four simple questions: “Who would follow me? Do I take responsibility? Do I “walk my talk”? Am I trustworthy?”
 

D. Chandramouli
Jakarta