My final blog post of 2015 will continue on the journey into character. A reoccurring thought has trapped my mind over the last few days, the thought of ‘the nature of someone or something can change everything.’ A great example of this can be seen through Jason Gideon.
Mandy Patinkin played Jason Gideon, a criminal profiler and Senior Supervisory agent of the FBI’s Behavioural Analysis Unit in the U.S. Police procedural crime series Criminal Minds.
Gideon spent many years training to be a profiler and was one of the best. His knowledge partnered with experience allowed him to be a great asset to the BAU, but as cases went on something inside of Gideon began to change.
During the ‘Boston Shrapnel Bomber’ case, Gideon sent six men into a warehouse which the bomber detonated. Gideon was criticised for his decisions and the handling of the case. He suffered a breakdown, taking six months medical leave suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Upon his return he was Senior Agent with Aaron Hotchner as Unit Chief.
If you have ever watched the show, you will know that the nature of the job is very pressing on every aspect of the agents lives and demands much from them.
After Gideon returned and continued working several trying cases, something had changed. Gideon was no longer mentally and emotionally who he was before. Adding to this he ascended into further emotional turmoil when close friend and love interest, Sarah Jacobs, was killed by an unsub because Gideon would not let him continue to kill people. These events led to Gideon resigning from the BAU.
Gideon’s job cost him the woman he loved and because of this Gideon walked away. He had failed to protect his heart. As he failed to protect his heart, he also lost some of the battle in his mind, hence him leaving his job at the BAU. Things were not how they used to be, somehow they became more personal. Gideon became infected emotionally, physically and mentally. His heart grew weary and his vision became dull.
“I just don’t understand any of it anymore”- Jason Gideon
How much more different are we from Gideon? Life hands out different dealings to each of us. Some we bring upon ourselves and are the consequences of our decisions or actions, whilst others are completely out of our control. Our emotional, physical, mental and spiritual selves are infected.
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life- Proverbs 4:23 (New Living Translation)
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect- Romans 12:1-2 (New American Standard version)
When we fail to protect or guard ourselves, we become infected. What infects you? What causes you to turn over inside? What causes your nature to change? Do you change for better or for worse? Work, religion, family and friends, beliefs, values, society, media, emotions, thoughts, health, wealth, traditions, cultures; an endless list.
Impacts from these and other things also change our perspective. Our vision becomes distorted. Gideon was a great profiler, of which we saw in series 10 when Gideon was hot on the trail of an unsub even though he had left the BAU. Being a profiler was still inside of Gideon but somewhere down the line what he had gone through he allowed to change his nature.
“I guess I’m just looking for it again. For the belief I had back in college. The belief I had when I first met Sarah and it all seemed so right. The belief in happy endings” – Jason Gideon
Gideon had to find hope again before he could move forward. Going into the new year, most people make new year resolutions. We set new challenges, orders, goals and structures in our lives with a deadline. I charge you with this menacing thought for 2016; WHAT WILL I ALLOW TO CHANGE MY NATURE THIS YEAR?
We must protect our hearts, minds, souls and spirits from internal and external circumstances, as well as their impact on us. Really take time out to see who you really are as a person. What is your nature saying? What changes or is changing your nature? Renew things which need to be renewed and let go of things that are not good for you.
I end again with this, ‘the nature of someone or something can change everything.’
Quotes about character
“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.”
― August Wilson
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
― John Wooden
“Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing.”
― Abraham Lincoln
“People do not seem to realise that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“When you choose your friends, don’t be short-changed by choosing personality over character.”
― W. Somerset Maugham
“Character is doing what you don’t want to do but know you should do.”
― Joyce Meyer
“One’s character is set at an early age. The choices you make now will affect you for the rest of your life. I hate to see you swim out so far you can’t swim back.”
― Wendelin Van Draanen, Flipped
“Choices determine character.”
― Brandon Mull, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary
“We cannot live better than in seeking to become better.”
― Socrates
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