Character Matters, Character is Destiny

About 15 years ago my wife gave me an autographed copy of Character is Destiny written by Senator John McCain.  It is one of my favorite books.  Through stories of people like Pat Tillman, Ghandi, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Joan of Arc, Mother Teresa, Wilma Rudolph, Dr. Martin Luther King, and several others, he illustrates that character traits matter.  Traits such as honesty or dishonesty, respect or disrespect, fairness or unfairness, courage or cowardice, kindness or cruelty, responsibility or irresponsibility, hope or pessimism, tolerance or intolerance, forgiveness or unforgiveness, generosity or stinginess, love or hate, selflessness or selfishness, and others that define our character make a difference.  Character matters.

One of my favorite stories in the book is of Pat Tillman who left the money and stardom in the National Football League to become a soldier who ultimately died for our country.  It was his strong sense of duty and honor to others, or his strong sense of citizenship that guided his decision, that led him to that destiny.  Character is destiny,

When I hear the phrases character matters or character makes a difference, I always think of John McCain.  His honesty, his fairness, his discernment, his responsibility, his courage, his empathy, and his strong sense of citizenship and duty to this country led to a lifetime of service in the military and the government.

Character matters, character is destiny.  Make that a priority when you vote.