Reputation rarely flatters

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Each Thursday I select a Viking quote, sometimes randomly, but ofttimes based upon relevance or meaning to my life at that point in time. Despite these phrases being over a thousand years old I believe most can still offer value in modern society and I find it interesting to ponder, weigh and measure them. _{original im src}

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This week's Viking quote

Reputation rarely flatters - Bandamanna Saga

I'm of the opinion that it is our character, not our reputation, that truly defines us individuals. The things we do can be perceived in various ways and, because we all perceive things differently based on our own experience, age and intellect, not always is the perception the true reality; just the perceivers reality.

The perception is reality paradigm goes both ways though; we can be falsely perceived and can do so with other in turn. Generally it's called judgement I guess.

I've weighed and measured, then judged, many people in my life and whilst these days I'm a little more cautious about forming hasty judgements, I still form them nonetheless. It's not just people I do this with though, it's events, situations and circumstances I evaluate and form opinions and judgements upon. I think it's human nature right?

I learned the ability to judge people based on my own opinion and the facts I had to hand rather than on other peoples experiences with the people or things I was judging. Hearsay can, like perception, be extremely skewed and lead to an incorrect assessment of a situation or person. This can lead to one missing out on something, someone, or an opportunity that is really great or it could take one down a path best not followed. Either can be problematic.

I'm not sure if there's a single person on the planet who has not, at one time or another, incorrectly judged someone else or a situation. None of us are perfect, that state of being doesn't exist for humans, and so we make mistakes, are led when we should lead and sometimes form hasty opinions that might not necessarily be accurate. It's ok to admit to it too; I have, and still do; there's no shame in admitting to one's mistakes.

I think, through admitting to and acknowledging mistakes, we are a little more prepared to address them, and maybe less likely to repeat the same mistakes...although we are sometimes slow on the uptake right? I guess the best we can hope for is to be our best version as often as possible and to mitigate the chance of error, misunderstanding and misjudgement as best we can.

I really like this Viking quote as it aligns with my thoughts about reputation and character. It's what we do when no one is looking, or when we have the chance to do something bad, untoward or negative...or the opposite, that defines us. Should we choose to do the right thing, based on what we know, then I'd say we are of good character and that defines us. If we choose the other path, well, just maybe we will earn a reputation that might not be positive, righteous and valued...and would probably deserve it.

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That's it for this week, a thousand year-old Viking quote suggesting that it is wise to judge people, events and situations based on our own experiences with them, rather than other people's perception. Also, that a person's character, what they do and how they act defines them. Do the right things and a person can avoid a negative reputation.

In the comments below, please feel free to disagree with my interpretation and add your own if you like, tell a story around this quote or general topic or simply react to it and let me know what you think, how you see it, how it relates to you or someone you know.

Skol.