Mrs. Hillary Clinton, Democratic presidential candidate, or Clinton’s campaign people? It was learned last week that one or the other had “planted” specific questions that selected audience members would ask Clinton to answer. Clinton seems to have been obviously prepared for those specific questions. In addition, a Clinton staff member signaled Mrs. Clinton to let her know which questioners to choose.
For the record, Mrs. Clinton said that it would not happen again. Be that as it may, many voices are crying out on one side or the other of the issue. It remains in the news days after it was first learned and confirmed. Weapons have been drawn, and the battle is hot.
Measuring character by others is the weapon of choice for many. President Bush, they cry, has regularly “planted” questions in his audiences. Why shouldn’t Clinton do likewise? They measure the presidential candidate’s character by the President’s character.
Measuring character by others. Is that a valid measuring stick? Is there no clear right and wrong involved? As many parents have said, “If someone else jumped off a cliff, would you jump, too?”
The actions of others should never be considered as a measuring stick for character. There are absolute moral standards in our world. They are the measuring stick we should use – not the behavior of others.
Measuring character by others is to say that character is subjective. I disagree. Character is not subjective. It is not something that each of us decides for personal use. Character is not dependent on any person or persons. It is subjective. It is based on absolutes that never change.
Measuring character by others is to disregard the truth stated in the how-to book, Character. That truth is: “It must rest on objective high moral values.” (page 15).
Character traits cannot be determined by looking at what others are doing. We cannot say that because that person, or that campaign, or that group behaves in this way, it is acceptable for us.
Suppose we measured our weight by others. What would happen? We would, of course, measure ourselves against the person that would make us look best. If we were overweight, we would choose to measure ourselves against very large people. We could then point out that we are not overweight at all. In fact, we are slender – by comparison.
If we choose to measure character traits by others, we do the same. We measure our actions against those that make us look best. We are not likely to choose those that excel in a given character trait as a yardstick for our own behavior.
Let me give just one example. Suppose you are caught in a lie. Will you compare your actions to those of others around you? Will you say, “Well, it was no worse than what he / she said?? Will you excuse you behavior by claiming that “He / she does the same thing?” Will you be tempted to say that you are as honest as the next person?
A lie is a lie. There is an absolute standard. You cannot measure your honesty by looking at others. You have to look at the absolute standard, as described in the book mentioned earlier: Character.
Mrs. Hillary Clinton, and every other politician who aspires to an office, must measure their character by absolute standards. We who will vote for one of them must likewise measure their exercise of character by absolute standards.
That’s the view from my chair. What’s your view?