What can be appreciated most in people? Of course, a lot, and each has its own list. But is there something unique? Something that is valued in any person and suitable for everyone? In order to find out, we must turn to the greatest minds of different eras and make a general, find something unique, suitable for our time. And uniqueness, as we know, is old things in a new order.
Let us imagine the following text as a kind of guide, because it does not at all imply a clear definition of the most important qualities. This is just an example that clearly shows the train of thought, and the final decision about what qualities can be appreciated in people, everyone makes for himself.
Wisdom
The Greeks distinguished four types of qualities from those that can be appreciated in people:
- Wisdom.
- Courage.
- Justice.
- Moderation.
Wisdom is closely connected with the mind. However, it does not determine the amount of knowledge, but its application. That is, if a person has a broad vision of many areas and knows many things, but does not know how to apply them in life, then he lacks wisdom. A wise person may not know much, but knows when and how to apply the available information.
Courage is often positioned as the main virtue of warriors. However, sometimes we need no less courage in meeting ordinary problems. To be courageous means not to deviate from your opinion, to stand on what you think is right. But this courage does not come from innate qualities, nor from mythical willpower. Courage comes from the realization of one's innocence, the importance of one's work, and belief in oneself.
Justice is a quality that, unfortunately, life does not possess, but an individual can possess. A fair person judges others by his actions and takes into account absolutely all circumstances before “condemning” someone. And since taking all circumstances into account is a very rare opportunity, then a just person never hurries to condemn another. This is an extremely humane quality; it does not imply blind adherence to the principle of "eye for eye, tooth for tooth."
Moderation has gained particular importance in the "age of consumers." Around a whirlpool of goods and inspired slogans: "More money - more opportunities." How can one resist the desire to possess everything that is possible? All this eventually turns into a race for pleasures. To avoid the abundance of temptations, it is necessary to be moderate in pleasures and everyday activities.
What will we single out? If we take a closer look, we will see that all these qualities are united by wisdom. Indeed, courage presupposes some knowledge of one’s goal, awareness of one’s own values. In order to be fair, it is necessary to apply and analyze knowledge about a person and an act, to be able to think. Moderation also involves knowing that it’s important not to spray on everything, because it was created not for you to suffer, but for focusing on the most important.
For all this, we need wisdom, which means that it is a very important quality for any person. We will single it out as one of those qualities that can be appreciated in people.
Kindness
Leo Tolstoy said a very clever thing:
The best person is the one who lives mainly with his thoughts and other people's feelings, the worst kind of person is that lives with other people's thoughts and his feelings.
This means that a good person thinks what is called his head. He is not satisfied with other people's conclusions and normative attitudes; he is critical of everything and analyzes everything independently. He lives with the feelings of others. That is, he is not focused only on his emotions, but he respects other people's feelings.
A person of the “worst kind” does not think with his own head; he listens and accepts only the opinions of others. His mind is full of stereotypes and other people's beliefs; he is not used to analyzing and thinking. At the same time, such a person cares only about his own feelings. The main thing is that he feels good, he doesn’t care about other people.
What do we take from here? Of course, we focus on the "best person." At the expense of life with our thoughts, we already have wisdom. But respect for other people's feelings is nothing but kindness. And this is definitely something that can be appreciated in people.
Honesty
Thomas Jefferson once said:
Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.
The above qualities cannot be valuable without honesty. Why? Because it is easy to deceive the interlocutor, but much more willingly people are deceiving themselves. What is the use of kindness if you harm people by convincing yourself of your own holiness? What is the use of wisdom when it is only cowardice covered in lies?
Honesty is important first of all to oneself. Ask yourself openly: "Am I doing the right thing?" And honestly answer. Without it, you can arbitrarily entertain yourself with thoughts of your own kindness, but you will not become kinder from this.
Frankness with other people is important, but she always looks in the back of honesty with herself. After all, telling everyone what you think about them is not at all wise. Very often it’s worth just biting your tongue or even lying. When this is done, wisdom will tell you exactly. The only one you need to be extremely honest with is always you.
Truly honest is one who constantly asks himself if he is honest enough. (Titus Makty Plavt)
Total
Why only three? Of course, one could indicate the complete list of commandments, all thirteen Benjamin Franklin's virtues, and sweeten with a couple of good words from the saints. But three - quite a lot. Try to use them and you will see that it is unexpectedly difficult, because the wind, which was fair for you, will now constantly blow your hat off your head.