The Limits of Reputation
Your reputation is of utmost importance. Your reputation is the basis of trust both given and taken from you.
You lose your reputation and you lose trust. When you lose trust you lose all your currency with which to trade with. Losing trust means losing influence, losing relationship and sometimes eventually losing yourself (because you need other people).
However, there are limits to reputation. There comes times when doing something merely to keep your reputation is the wrong thing. Your reputation can become harmful sometimes.
Here's an example:
Someone may have a reputation for being "strict". There may come time to show be leniant, but keeping your reputation seems like the more important thing to do, and in the process you may damage something.
Parts of our reputation need to be flexible. Our character and moral parts of our reputation can never flex, but other aspects of it may need to flex in order to accommodate every changing situations.
Don't put those parts of your reputation ahead of doing the right thing.
You lose your reputation and you lose trust. When you lose trust you lose all your currency with which to trade with. Losing trust means losing influence, losing relationship and sometimes eventually losing yourself (because you need other people).
However, there are limits to reputation. There comes times when doing something merely to keep your reputation is the wrong thing. Your reputation can become harmful sometimes.
Here's an example:
Someone may have a reputation for being "strict". There may come time to show be leniant, but keeping your reputation seems like the more important thing to do, and in the process you may damage something.
Parts of our reputation need to be flexible. Our character and moral parts of our reputation can never flex, but other aspects of it may need to flex in order to accommodate every changing situations.
Don't put those parts of your reputation ahead of doing the right thing.
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