Behavior And Character

Is behaviour more important than character?

Behavior, character and personality are distinct levels in the evolution of the human being. When people display nice behavior, we say they arepresentable. At the next level, when they have character, they can accomplish something. 

First we have to see what behavior means.  Behavior is superficial and comes through training. It is a channelthrough which a man expresses himself. The energies for behavior come from the vital emotions, whereas the energies for character come from the mind. The vital energies are short-lived responses to asituation. The ordinary man who is popular with everyone behaves well, has polite manners and does not criticize anyone. He is very presentable in society. But if this is where his growth has stopped, hecannot accomplish anything in the ordinary sense of the word. He cannot found an institution or make a mark in his profession. Behavior can be good and presentable, but beyond that behavior does notgo. A good behavior, a good education, a good age or experience will not accomplish something on its own.

The habits which are formed in the vital become its behavior. All habits that are receivedin the vital and organized at that level are only at the level of behavior, because the vital has no direction. It cannot remember how it behaved three days ago. If it needs to be polite in goodcompany, it can be so, but the behavior is short-lived. If someone behaves like a friend today, he may be an enemy tomorrow.

As in the other hand when a person has developed character, he canaccomplish something by himself. Character is organized in the mind. It has a memory and never forgets. When the essence of the vital experience which is behavior is received in the mind and organized well sothat the mind accepts that as its central direction, then it becomes character.

A man with character fits into that level of society to which his character has risen. If he has a character but...