Context
Just a thought: I wonder if every single character trait one could possibly possess has the potential to be very harmful or totally harmless according to the context in which it manifests itself.
Allow me to explain. Take single-mindedness, for instance. It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to realise it's a a trait which could be exceedingly commendable in certain contexts but a severe handicap in others. Or being a thoughtful person. Again, in some situations this would be a beneficial characteristic, in others it might be deadly... which is actually what makes Hamlet such a heart-wrenching tragedy, but that's another story. I once spent some time with someone I'd always considered to be enviably laid-back, and although I wasn't persuaded to alter my general assessment of this individual, I began to realise that this 'laid-back-ness' was achieved through a certain type of selfishness: there were certain things this person would not do if they really didn't want to them. Well then, one might say it's very easy to achieve a 'laid-back image' if one never does anything to put oneself out.
So all this brings me to my initial query: I wonder if every single characteristic out there has got a plus side and a minus, an up and a down, a yin and a yang? Or are there any traits which can be purely light or purely dark?
Allow me to explain. Take single-mindedness, for instance. It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to realise it's a a trait which could be exceedingly commendable in certain contexts but a severe handicap in others. Or being a thoughtful person. Again, in some situations this would be a beneficial characteristic, in others it might be deadly... which is actually what makes Hamlet such a heart-wrenching tragedy, but that's another story. I once spent some time with someone I'd always considered to be enviably laid-back, and although I wasn't persuaded to alter my general assessment of this individual, I began to realise that this 'laid-back-ness' was achieved through a certain type of selfishness: there were certain things this person would not do if they really didn't want to them. Well then, one might say it's very easy to achieve a 'laid-back image' if one never does anything to put oneself out.
So all this brings me to my initial query: I wonder if every single characteristic out there has got a plus side and a minus, an up and a down, a yin and a yang? Or are there any traits which can be purely light or purely dark?
