Characters and Figures

In every good book there is a plot line that introduces the reader to the person one could describe as “a real character,” as well as the person(s) who must build their internal character in order to become the heroic figure in the story.  

A co-worker recently brought this to mind while imparting to me her annoyance with another individual.  My co-worker was frustrated with this other person’s lack of substance, and vented to me that “my husband calls these types of people cartoon characters.”  

I suppose we all know people that act like this from time-to-time.  They appear as two-dimensional, non-authentic, and seem to keep putting unnecessary challenges in our way.    I suppose every story has one or two of these characters, even yours and mine. 

Contrast this buffoon-like character with the lead figure of any story; the genuine and real person that can be relied upon to save the day.  In great books and in real-life, people whose actions resonate in this way are referred to as historical or heroic figures, and that is quite a contrast to a flat cartoon character.  Even the word figure (or figurine) connotes a three-dimensional quality, which all makes me wonder, can a character become a figure? 

With this thought in the back of my head, I went about my busy week.  A busy but good week.  I had the privilege of attending an end-of-year celebration for the new South Burlington Mentoring Program, where a number of local community members gave of themselves to spend some time as a Mentor to an elementary student.  Throughout this event I could see the early shaping of some young characters into future figures.  These wonderful young people had already been blessed by the loving hands of their families and teachers and now had this  “bonus” mentor to support them in their evolution into future figureheads of our community. 

Follow that up with an event the next night during which the Knights of Columbus gathered to make a substantial donation to Camp Ta-Kum-Ta.  Here I could see many still evolving but very mature figureheads of our local community giving back in their own humble and passionate way.

Between these two events there were hundreds of different stories, some just starting out, some at a midpoint, and yet others within reach of their pinnacle.  In every tale there are the main players, the individuals who have center stage, in essence, the person(s) the story is about. 

In real life though, we each have our own story, where we are subservient to no other character or figure.    We get to make the story about anything we feel passionately about and that includes making it not wholly about ourselves. 

As  we maneuver the twists and turns on the path of our own story, we’ll inevitably meet other characters. Some will seem two-dimensional and may appear to change our self-described plot, but in truth, they are just part of our story, placed there for a reason; to help us add the dimensions we need to become our full-figured selves.