6 Personality Traits to Admire and Acquire

If you really think about it, once in awhile you come across a person who knocks you off your socks…legitimately. Maybe they have a fantastic outlook on life, even during difficult times. Maybe they are really humble, although they are extremely gifted. Maybe they make you feel special. All of these are good.

Below, I've listed some of the traits I admire most in people. Although I could probably list a dozen characteristics, I thought I’d list those that seem to be the rarest or most difficult to find.

1. Selflessness: In a world where many people don’t have the time or the interest in others, selflessness is a quality that seems to be less and less common. People can be selfless in the time they give, the ability to listen, their level of patience and the love that they give. Those who are giving and generous in nature have the power to make others feel loved, appreciated and special. While those who are self-absorbed tend to do the exact opposite.
2. Tolerance: Those people who are tolerant make us feel comfortable with who we are and special as individuals. All of us are different, and many of us have quirks and idiosyncrasies. After all, these differences make the world go round. Having the ability to accept people for who they are and not expect them to be who we want them to be is important in life, happiness and in the health of our relationships.
3. Genuineness: Having the ability to be real, authentic and honest is unique in a world where we put so much emphasis on the superficial. Feeling comfortable in one’s skin and being true to one’s self is one of the most beautiful traits one can possess. To have a REAL relationship with someone requires honesty…it requires hearing and giving input or feedback that may not always be popular…it means having the strength to tell it like it is and to not be afraid to face the consequences for doing so…it means loving people for who they really are…deep down…and not for what they appear to be.
4. Sensitivity: So often we are focused on what is important to ourselves that we can forget about those around us. Those who are sensitive are often thoughtful, appreciative and loving, in a way that makes you feel understood, valued and respected. Often, sensitive people are also self-aware, making them mindful of how they impact others with what they do and say.
5. Integrity: Call me cynical, but I think this characteristic is especially difficult to find. In a time when people will do things that are underhanded to make an extra buck (Bernie Madoff…can you hear me?), expose their personal lives to the public so they can be famous (balloon boy’s dad and any other reality TV mongers) and do what feels good in the moment without necessarily thinking of the consequences (Tiger Woods), integrity is a characteristic that is especially unique today.
6. Humility: Whether someone is super-smart, extremely talented or drop-dead gorgeous, there is something extra special about them if they don’t come across as though they know it all the time. Humility in those that possess extraordinary traits make others feel special too.

Oh boy the list could go on! What characteristics do you admire in others? Are there any that you want to cultivate?

Kids of Courage Feature: Cuba: A Link in the Chain

When Tom White was a boy, his mother gave him a book called Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. The book told the stories of people who had been killed for their Christian faith. As Tom grew older, he learned more about Christians who risk their lives to share the truth about Jesus.

He believed God wanted him to do more than just learn what others were doing. “I decided to commit myself fulltime to active duty,” he said.

Tom decided to drop Christian pamphlets out of a small airplane while flying over Cuba. Cuba is a communist country, and the government at that time did not allow anyone to share the gospel there.

Tom’s airplane accidentally crashed in Cuba, and Cuban officials took Tom and the pilot to prison.

Sunglasses Can’t Stop Prayers
A Cuban officer, Captain Santos, questioned Tom often during his time in prison. Captain Santos did not believe in God. He questioned Tom for many hours, sometimes threatening him if he did not answer the way the captain wanted.

“How can I fight this?” Tom wondered. “This could go on forever.” God helped Tom feel sorry for his questioner. Captain Santos did not know God. “God, help Captain Santos,” Tom prayed silently.

“What are you doing?” the captain asked.

“I’m praying for you,” Tom answered.

The captain’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He looked nervously around the room. He started drumming his fingers on the desk.

The next time Tom was questioned, Captain Santos wore sunglasses. “God doesn’t need eye contact,” Tom thought. “He deals with the heart.” Tom continued praying for the captain.

A Chain of Witnesses
Another time, the officers asked Tom to sign a statement. The statement accused other Christians of breaking the law. If Tom signed the statement, other people would get in trouble.

“The chain keeps me from signing this,” Tom told his captors.

“But you are not in chains!” insisted the officers.

“Yes, I am,” said Tom. “I am bound by the chain of witnesses who gave their lives for Jesus throughout the centuries. I am a link in the chain. I will not break it.”

Released
Christians around the world prayed and worked for Tom to be released from the Cuban prison, and he was freed. Today Dr. Tom White is the director of The Voice of the Martyrs-USA. VOM helps Christians around the world who are links in the chain of Christians persecuted for their faith, as he was.

To Discuss
Why do you think Captain Santos put on sunglasses? What did Tom mean when he said, “I am a link in the chain”?

Featured Stories: Nigeria: Christians Killed

More than 100 Christians have been killed in Jos, Nigeria, since Jan. 17, when violent riots broke out between the Christian and Muslim communities, according to VOM contacts.

The Voice of the Martyrs contacts reported that the violence was triggered by a Muslim attack on St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Nasarawa Gwong, in the Jos North Local Government Area. “It appears to the Christians here that elements inside the Nigerian Muslim community actually prepare for events like this and then look for an incident which they can then escalate into a crisis. The intent is to drive Christians out of this area down to the south,” VOM contacts reported.

Church leaders said Muslim youths also attacked buildings belonging to the Christ Apostolic Church, Assemblies of God Church, three branches of the Church of Christ in Nigeria and the Evangelical Church of West Africa. On Jan. 18, authorities imposed a curfew, and the city is under the close control of Nigerian troops.

Hundreds of believers have reportedly been wounded. “We have been witnessing sporadic shootings in the last two days,” Rev. Chuwang Avou, secretary of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria told Compass Direct News a few days after the attacks began. “We see some residents shooting sporadically into the air. We have also seen individuals with machine guns on parade in the state.”

The Voice of the Martyrs has people on the ground in Nigeria assisting believers. VOM is providing medical assistance and other resources to those affected by the attacks. VOM has supported persecuted believers in Nigeria for more than 20 years. VOM also helps widows through the Family of Martyrs Fund and provides their children with free education. Pray that VOM contacts will be able to provide the spiritual encouragement and resources that believers in Nigeria need. Pray for peace and for the protection of believers.

Photos courtesy of Rev. Hassan John

Movie of the Moment: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

As we learned in our first cinematic interaction with Alvin and his brothers, chipmunks like to rock. In fact, being international pop stars is cooler than a bagful of roasted cashews for these furry fellows. But, as usual, Alvin takes the fun a little too far. And his stage-hogging triggers an accident that lands manager/guardian Dave in the hospital.

Dave will be laid up for a while, so he makes arrangements to have his cousin Toby look after the Chips and insists that they be enrolled in school while he recovers. Hey, if chipmunks can sing and play guitars, why can’t they write a few term papers, too?

The scholarly road has its ruts and bumps, though. Toby is a bit of a video game-obsessed slacker who doesn’t quite know what to do with his new responsibilities. And high school bullies don’t make things any easier. Then, when Alvin has his head turned by a group of popular jocks and then backs away from his brothers, things go from bad to worse.

In the meantime, former manager and all-around scoundrel, Ian Hawke, happens upon a new set of harmonizing rodents. A trio of pretty girl chipmunks called the Chipettes seek out Ian and give him hopes of not only making it back to the big-time, but smashing the hated Chipmunks along the way. Ian leaps into action to stage a head-to-head sing-off with the boys.

This can only end one way …

Happily.

(You didn’t think a Chipmunks movie would end badly, did you?)

Positive Elements

Despite rock stardom, a few poorly advised choices, school cliques and the twinkle of a pretty girl chipmunk’s smile, one thing ultimately remains paramount to our three titular heroes: family. Theodore, the sensitive Chip, worries that his brood might split under the strains, but their ties to each other, Dave and even goofy Toby stay strong.

Though it looks like Ian might turn the Chipettes into Chipmunk-haters, the girls turn out to be small-town gals with hearts of gold. (Cute and furry romance appears inevitable.) Toby learns to pull his nose out of a video game and take some parental responsibility for his young charges. And at one point, he has to face his greatest fear—speaking in public—in order to help the little guys.

A group of students, including Theodore, help organize donations for Toys for Tots. Ian has told Eleanor, one of the Chipettes, that she’s too short and chubby which causes her to dress differently—but Theodore tells her, "I think you look great just the way you are." The Chipmunks sing in a competition to earn money and save their school’s music program. Alvin puts his life in danger to save Theodore.

Sexual Content

When the Chipettes sing they put quite a bit of sexualized hip shake and swivel into their choreography. Reviewer Catherine Shoard of guardian.co.uk voiced her distaste this way: "And, with the introduction of these fuzzy lovelies, something awful has happened—the franchise has been sexed up. There’s something truly dismaying about seeing a skimpily clad lady chipmunk shaking her booty while belting out some Beyoncé."

Ian sports a mostly bare chest while wearing a short bathrobe. Later, he steps out onstage clad in a strapless dress. At a high school singing competition, one young (human) singer wears a low-cut, formfitting dress.

Violent Content

Dave gets bashed with a large falling Chipmunks sign. (He’s sent hurtling across a theater stage.) We next see him propped up in a hospital bed wearing head bandages and what appears to be a full-body cast. A woman in a wheelchair is accidentally pushed backwards down a flight of stairs. She rolls and thumps her way to the bottom and is then hit with a large cart. (Her bandaged form gets loaded into an ambulance.) Theodore inadvertently trips a skateboarder who tumbles down a flight of stairs. After some slapstick tumbles, Ian’s hit in the crotch by a speeding toy.

Bullies abuse Simon by giving him a "swirly"—dunking him headfirst in the toilet. They pummel Simon and Theodore with dodge balls. They later toss Simon like a basketball into a trash can and torment Theodore. Sticking up for their brother, Alvin and Simon jump on two bullies and rip up their shirts (offscreen).

Alvin accidentally smashes a TV screen with his Wii remote. Toby stumbles around and breaks a number of musical instruments. Alvin and Simon wrestle and fight with each other in a trash dumpster. Ian is thrown into a dumpster by bouncers. An eagle threatens to eat Theodore.

Crude or Profane Language

Ian doesn’t finish the rude exclamation, "They can kiss my sweet …" He also spits out his frustration with "darn it to heck!" and "god!"

For the Chipmunks’ part, they are heard saying "rats!" and "dang!" Alvin calls former manager Ian "the devil."

Drug and Alcohol Content

Ian uncorks a bottle of champagne and pours himself a glass. (He never drinks it.) When Dave is in the hospital, he’s given a sedative that makes him groggy and eventually puts him to sleep. After Alvin shows up and causes his usual havoc, the doctor gives him a shot, too.

Other Negative Elements

Ian lies to the Chipettes repeatedly and one time manipulates them to help him break into an apartment. Bullies poke Theodore in the backside and make mean comments about his weight. Alvin grabs the bullies’ underwear to deliver a few wedgies.

After some Alvin-inspired shenanigans in Dave’s hospital room, Simon ends up falling into an empty bedpan. A frightened Theodore asks to sleep with Toby, who agrees, but then passes gas while Theodore is under the covers.

Conclusion

Those warbling fur balls who started life as a novelty song some 50-plus years ago are back, um, for a Squeakquel. Two years ago I wrote Plugged In’s review of the first big Alvin and the Chipmunks movie, and I had a pretty easy go of it. I knew halfway through that flick that I wasn’t going to find as much to like as I would have wished.

But now I’m really wrestling with what to say about this one. My indecision revolves around whether to gratefully count up the nuts that’ve already been gathered for winter or to bemoan the ones that haven’t.

By that I mean this: My first draft of this review jumped down on this kids’ pic with both paws. Catherine Shoard got it right when she complained about the filmmakers "sexing up the franchise," I wrote.

But it ended up feeling about as mean as the bullies who torment our furry little friends. So I crumpled it up and tossed it into the round file.

I do wish Squeakquel’s creators hadn’t equipped their newest feminine cast members with such coquettish moves. I get very tired of the entertainment industry handing young viewers sexualized bits—well beyond their years—to take home and imitate. But, I countered to myself, these Chipettes aren’t the Pussycat Dolls and their Chipmunk admirers never really treat them that way.

Soooo …

On the positive side of things, Squeakquel is dialed down from the first movie’s tendency to dole out toilet humor and chipmunk droppings in every scene. I didn’t once feel like I was rolling around in a long-neglected pet cage this time around.

On top of that, the animation sparkles. The musical numbers are cute and bouncy. And the Chips’ desire for a loving and lasting family comes through loud and clear.

Soooo …

Here’s a conclusion that hopefully won’t end up getting dragged across my desktop to the recycle bin: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is something like a Christmastime candy cane. It’s colorful. It’s sweet. And it’s not exactly green beans. So wise parents will always keep an eye on how much the young ones gobble up.