“If you will think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself. Character is a by-product, and any man who devotes himself to its cultivation in his own case will become a selfish prig.”
— Woodrow Wilson, 28th American president (1856-1924)
Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary of the American Language defines Magnanimity as such:
MAGNANIM'ITY, n. [L. magnanimitas; magnus, great, and animus, mind.] Greatness of mind; that elevation or dignity of soul, which encounters danger and trouble with tranquility and firmness, which raises the possessor above revenge, and makes him delight in acts of benevolence, which makes him disdain injustice and meanness, and prompts him to sacrifice personal ease, interest and safety for the accomplishment of useful and noble objects.
Democritus states that "magnanimity consists in enduring tactlessness with mildness".
As an adjective, the concept is expressed as "magnanimous," i.e. "He is a magnanimous man." An example of referring to one as magnanimous can be seen in Hrólfs saga kraka where King Hrólfr Kraki changes the name of a court servant from Hott to Hjalti for his new-found strength and courage, after which Hjalti refuses to taunt or kill those who previously mocked him. Because of his noble actions, the king then bestows the title Magnanimous upon Hjalti.
An old man in his late 70's told me about magnanimity...being bigger than that...and it made a huge difference in my life. He was an Atheist and mostly out of mind...but when he was confronted by others...he took the higher path by becoming smaller... accepting criticism with grace...I have tried to be like him...perhaps I am also out of my mind as well...jajajaja!
I appreciate your seeing my soul first...You don't say as much as I do... I have said so many things here in CureZone (3330 posts)... that I was bound to start babbling at some point. I appreciate your straight forward response. A friend is someone who tells you when your fly is down. If I could shut up when I am leaning toward becoming "ma fem in the pen" then I would stop...but I can't seem to stop...writing... I have tried to leave CureZone many times before but somehow I keep coming back.,,,spilling my soul out in words that are only wild approximations of what my soul knows words can not express...but somehow I have found my place here...the good...bad...and ugly...of who I am... If anyone says 3,330 anything...they are bound to end up filling up the room with hot air...
I think that once you lose someone's respect...it is hard to get it back...but I never really wanted anyone's respect really... If even one sentence of what I have ever said made any sense at at all then...perhaps we have a bond... I know your words have meant a lot to me...I see in them an inner knowing...
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