The Green caldron - University Library

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The Green Caldron
Good old Plato would probably be a hacker, too. Before any meaty
discourses he would reach into his toga with nicotine stained fingers and
take out his package of Viceroys. Now he could sit down on a marble pillar
and truly "think for himself."
Perhaps I seem to be exaggerating, but I feel humiliated when I fall for
televised cigarette commercials. I ask if they can possibly be aimed at mature
adults, and I always answer no. Then I cringe with shame at my apparent
immaturity as I light up one of the brand I have last seen advertised on
television.
Character
Jerry Africk
Rhetoric 102, Theme 2
CHARACTER, THAT IS, THE CHARACTER OF A HUMAN
being, is defined in Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary as the sum
total of distinctive qualities derived by an individual from nature, edu-
cation, or habit, and as the moral vigor or firmness acquired through self-
discipline.
This definition, clear as it may be, is not very helpful when one wishes
to make a relatively precise determination of his own distinctive qualities.
What are some of the distinctive qualities for which a person must look, and
how does self-discipline fit into the formation of a firm character?
Most of our problems lie not in outer space, but in inner space. It is
within ourselves that the issues of life are recognized, considered, and finally
resolved. Neither other persons nor events are capable of defeating or de-
stroying us, but we are capable of self-defeat and self-destruction.
It seems curious the way that so many of us limit ourselves. We set
ceilings on our capabilities, and often the ceiling is zero. As a consequence,
our powers fail to flower, and we push on through life brooding over our de-
ficiencies. Actually, we do not scratch the surface of the possible.
There was a report that when two men left a political campaign rally,
one of them asked the other, "Well, what do you think now?" The reply
was eloquent: "Think? I didn't come here to think. I came to holler."
Unfortunately, it is much easier to holler than it is to think, so when we
face the problems of the day, we often exercise our vocal cords far more
vigorously than we exercise our brains. But it is better in the long run to