Customer Reviews

Character Is Destiny: The Value of Personal Ethics in Everyday Life

5 star:		(14)
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3 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought and read this book months ago-it made an immediate impact and revealed some self-conflict. I just pulled it off my office shelf for a re-read. This book strikes at the heart of whether or not there is "right" and "wrong" in human relations, regardless of ones religious views. Almost 28 years of military service in leadership positions has utterly convinced me that there are undeniable "laws" at work in human relations-principles or laws, such as "being polite", "being neat", "being honest", "being helpful"... at work with undeniable consequences, whether or not we believe they are. We don't really break these "natural laws," we break ourselves against them and suffer consequences, sooner or later, directly or indirectly. Gough presents this very personal ethics issue in a simple, direct way that can be very helpful in developing your character and leadership! It should be included in every LEADER's kitbag!

"Character Is Destiny" offers a well-organized and well-written primer on the nature and formation of good character. Based on the ethical traditons of Aristotle and Aquinas, Gough organizes his chapters around fourteen pithy axioms about character; he vividly and simply explains and illustrates one per chapter. "Character is what you are in the dark," The final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands," and "Example is not the main thing in life--it is the only thing" are a few of the axioms Gough uses as chapter titles. No philosophical jargon here! Gough writes for the average person. But make no mistake, his content is searching and practical. For me, the chapter entitled, "Character is higher than intellect," in which Gough takes to task the mistaken notion (inherited from Socrates) that "knowledge is virtue" is worth the price of the whole book. If you're looking for a book that offers solid advice on building good character without being preachy, Gough's book is the ticket.

Enjoyed this book immensely. I have purchased three additional copies for my adult children, in the hope that they too may benefit. Although this book's content would likely be included in any "good ethics course" in college, I couldn't help but wonder if students today are "taking ethics". An excellent overview of personal ethics and virtue, most appropriate to today's fast-paced and increasingly self-centered and self-absorbed world. A beautiful presentation of Dr. Gough's apparent love of life, virtue and the struggle we must all experience in life in order to be virtuous, and, thereby, become our unique or real self. Dr. Gough's admission of his own imperfections, his own struggle to become virtuous, and his love of his family and God enable the reader to achieve an intimate bond with a philosopher and his philosophy: no easy task with such a "deep" subject. Try it and you'll like it!

This short book takes a good look at the value of trying to be good. It's a subject that doesn't lend itself well to easy reading, but Gough has been able to write a book worth reading that is also enjoyable to read. I felt enriched when I was done with the book. Enriched, lifted up, and I find it easier to be my best self. I'm the author of Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I am an expert on what works. This book works. It causes a positive and lasting effect in the reader.

+++++

This slim book by professor of ethics and philosophy Russell Gough is like a self-help guide for the soul, showing how we can lead better lives simply by being better people. Gough elaborates:

"This book offers what I call mirroring, rather than a finger-pointing, approach. In one-to-one, conversational fashion, its primary goal is to encourage each of us to think about improving our personal lives...in terms of our own personal character...Each chapter of this book is designed to emphasize a given aspect of the all-important nature of personal character [and are] designed to encourage practical self-reflection and enduring personal growth."

What is character? Character, as used in this book, is "what you are in your essence, the sum total of your habits, your personal assortment of virtues [or goods] and vices [or bads]." The title of this book, "Character is Destiny," is an actual quotation uttered by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus.

In fact, each chapter of this book is titled by an actual quotation from a person of great character. These quotes "capture the force and point of each chapter." You'll find that these quotations or chapter titles "are definitely well-worth committing to memory and...living by."

Each of these quotations or chapter titles comes from the following people:

(1) Heraclitus (Greek philosopher)
(2) Socrates (Greek philosopher)
(3) Dwight Moody (American evangelist)
(4) Anne Frank (German-Jewish teen who was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust and subsequently died at age fifteen in a concentration camp)
(5) Ralph Waldo Emerson (American poet and essayist)
(6) Aristotle (Greek philosopher)
(7) Paul (the Apostle)
(8) Albert Schweitzer (German theologian, musician, and missionary)
(9) Jean Paul Richter (German humorist)
(10) The author (ethics & philosophy professor and author)
(11) An anonymous person (thought to be Charles Reade, English novelist)

You'll find that each chapter is easy-to-read and written with great conviction and eloquence. There is not reams and reams of theory to sort through. This book is written in real English for real people on perhaps the most important subject of all--character.

There is an appendix (not labeled as such) to this book that, in my opinion, is very important. Here, Gough states the following:

"In this book, I have focused on the vast majority of times in our daily lives when we have a pretty clear idea of the ethical line separating the right thing to do from the wrong thing to do. Thus, our discussion has been one not of knowing the right thing to do but of having the character to do the right thing."

But what of those rare situations where there is NOT a clear ethical line where we "truly [don't] know what is most ethically appropriate to do." These are called ethical dilemmas. I was glad to see that the author gives us insight into handling these difficult situations.

Who is this book written for? I would say for high school students, college and university students, and adults: in other words, for everyone. (I disagree with the second part of the last sentence of the Amazon editorial review above.)

Finally, I liked the idea that the author stated that he was not perfect ethically. Thus, this is not a book written by a preachy person who thinks he's a saint or thinks that he lives on Mount Olympus.

In conclusion, this is a well-written, easy-to-read book that speaks directly to the moral crisis of our time!!

(first published 1998; forward; preface; introduction; 14 chapters; appendix; main narrative 160 pages; notes)

+++++

I have had the opportunity to read through many different books on self-improvement. So many in fact that I couldn't really tell you what they were about...until now. Dr. Gough's book was a weekend reading for me, and without a doubt, in that one weekend, I found a way not only to make my life more productive and better, but even more important, my life has become much more honest to myself.

One chapter in his book, on Character is Who You are in the Dark drove home who I really was. WOW! Nobody could do that before, not even my parents (in fact, they are convinced I'm from some other planet).

Quite simply, I feel that if any other book can make my life turn around as Dr. Gough's has, I'll be hard pressed to believe it. For the first time in my life, the decisions I make are for the right reasons...not just because I "wanted to".

Read this book, and I am sure you'll do what I've done and that is buy a copy for all those that are close to me (and w! ! e'll make our friends at amazon.com very happy)!

Good luck!

This book is written in laymans terms. It is easy reading and insightful. The authour will challenge they way you look at things from an ethical point of view. I highly recomend this book. It's like a bible on personal ethics. Give one to all your friends.

The author did a great job all around. He at least nibbles around the edges of trying to put a philosophical foundation under this, still largely, "how to" book. If, like me, you would like to go further and understand the solid foundation that supports all of the author's fine work, I'll give you a tip that can save you a lot of prolix philosophical reading. I found a book called "WEST POINT", by Norman Thomas Remick that explains all the philosophy in easy to read, understandable language behind the 200 years of character building at West Point, the world's premier school for that purpose. It will advance your understanding of the principles presented so expertly by Mr. Gough in his 5 star effort. Regardless of whether you are serious about understanding what all this is REALLY all about, you'll find "CHARACTER IS DESTINY" readable and enjoyable.

Written very simply, it gets right to the point of what goes on in our everyday lives with respect to decisions between right and wrong. It doesn't scold you or talk down to you, it just provides you a new outlook on your morality.

Found the book to be an easy read, filled with implications and practically oriented. Bought several to give away.