"Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation." -Henry Kissinger, American Politician and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Henry Kissinger books//
How important is your reputation? Most people want to be known for something good, like honesty, fairness, strength, integrity and kindness. No matter how hard you work at living a good life, it may not guarantee that your reputation is secure. I'm not saying it's right, but people tend to judge you by many things, including the company you keep.
Kissinger alludes to a common perception, which is 'all politicians are liars and crooks.' Rational people know there are some politicians with integrity, and "ninety percent" is probably not an accurate reflection of those who lie, cheat and steal. The corrupt acts of a few politicians garner fifty times the media attention than good deeds or moral decisions. Thus, the negative reputation of politicians as a whole is accepted by the majority of average citizens.
When it comes to reputation, perception is reality in the minds of most. Therefore, if your group of friends, associates, co-workers, affiliates and even family members are negatively perceived, then your reputation will be tarnished in the eyes of others. Is it fair? Absolutely not! It is reality though.
So, does this mean that you should distance yourself from those that lessen your reputation? It depends. If you're running with a gang of hoodlums, then maybe you should. However, as in the example of being a politician, it may be more beneficial not to worry what other people think and simply prove them wrong by your own actions.
You can control how others perceive you, but some of the choices you may be required to make are not worth it to positively alter false perceptions. Reputation is important, but not at all costs. Consistently living your life with integrity will enable you to feel at peace with yourself, which is far more important than trying to change the perceptions and labels associated with your friends, family or groups.
Related Posts:
In Good Company
A Good Knife
We All Live Political Lives
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Reputation Comes from the Company you Keep
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Your title proclaims the truth. "Reputation Comes from the Company you Keep"
What's our company is our choice and our responsibility, the reputation we have is the earnings of the life and our greatest reward.
That's the A-B-C! The truth should associate with the light, but in my concrete case, it reminds the total night...
I had head trauma and walked on the edge of the death for some time, but the miracle happened and I was returned to the life once more. It was not my choice, there were no merit of me for what have happened.
It just happened- life put me into the ranks of the disabled. In other words, my company was not my choice- the reputation too: my friends bear the name of... the "fools" (people with the psychiatric disorders)- our life is the tasting of of the meal of our names.
... while writing (confessing) it becomes darker and darker, but can I change though some here? My reputation is your outlook.
Consistently living your life with integrity will enable you to feel at peace with yourself... you words encourages- Thank you. However, is it possible to find the peace in oneself in case I recognize myself out of the hug of the world?
Can the outsider have any reputation?
Can we live without the reputation?
All I can to do in the concrete is just to question.
Unfortunately, I don't involve in that activity too, because I think it is much better to share the positive attitude (to dig that post for example)but is it not a hiding from the need to put a theory into a practice?
Thanks for the comment Tomas! It would be great if more people would practice understanding rather than judgment. We would all benefit. Thanks for sharing your inspirational thoughts.
Post a Comment