qualities

John Doe

In your opinion, what is the most important quality a person can have? I'm speaking of any type of relationship or aquaintence.

Lets see, honesty? Ah yes, but honesty lacking empathy can be brutal. Integrity? Hmmm, maybe, but considering the plant world, the cactus plant shows great integrity, yet I don't think it's a good acqaintance. Intelligence? Important indeed, but Hitler was an intelligent man.

So, the question is, is there any sole characteristic that can exist in a person that in and of itself makes the person a good one to know? What's your take?

JH

There is a time to be nice and time to be rude.

A time for peace and a time for war.

The quality has to match the occasion.

Generosity is important. Forgiveness too.

serendipity

Hi John Doe,

I'm assuming you're talking about a social relationship pursued by choice. For me, it's kindness. If a person isn't kind, I won't seek that person out.

under_believer

No, there is no single quality that alone makes a person worth knowing.
I value honesty as a personal characteristic more than any other, but as you rightly point out, naked honesty without temperance or compassion can be a negative trait.

Balsam

Resonable compassion for our humans.

John Doe

Balsam, how do you define reasonable compassion?

Lo-ru-hamah

I have to agree with Serendipity. Kindness, is a beautiful quality and it buffers other qualities like you mentioned before. When you put kindness with honesty then the brutality will not be there and so on.

Loruhamah

misspeaches

A genuine person.

Carmel

The civilizing virtues of honesty, duty and loyalty so central to human progress are cultivated by the language of the heart and the voice of conscience. Legal imperatives and penalties, while essential, are limited in their efficacy. To draw upon the spiritual roots of motivation that lie at the heart of human identity and purpose is to tap the one impulse that can ensure genuine social transformation.

(Baha'i International Community, 2001 May 28-31, Overcoming Corruption in Public Institutions)

Confession

I've been considering a variation on this question for some time now, and I keep coming back to righteousness. I know... It sounds very JayDubbish, doesn't it? But the difference between WTS righteousness and the real thing is, I believe, that one's understanding of what is right is determined by oneself--and not a group of men.

qualities

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