A mark of character

Posted: November 11, 2016 | Categories: Leadership, Self-Improvement

“You can judge a person’s character by the way he treats people who can’t help or hurt him”

I came across the above quote today, and my thoughts immediately went to an event that occurred when I was a child in my early teens.  It happened in Cheyenne, Wyoming on a hot summer day.  I was visiting relatives, and my cousins and I were out walking around in a small strip mall.  Someone came up to me and said, “There is a guy over there giving out free ice cream!”  I looked over, saw the crowd, and made a beeline to the free ice cream. My eyes were glued to the prize like a heat-seeking missile.  Just a few feet before I got there, an arm gently stretched out and halted my momentum.  I looked up to see a tall, smiling man.  He greeted me warmly and said, “Hi, my name is Cliff Hansen…What’s your name?”  I said, “My name is Steve and I’m from Kansas”.  He said, “I’m running for senator in Wyoming, and I am asking people for their vote.  Since you are from Kansas, you’ll just have to send in an absentee ballot”.  “Sure”, I said.  As his eyes twinkled, he held up his open hand and directed me to his left.  “Would you like some ice cream?”

I remember how I felt after that event.  I walked away feeling great about myself.  For that brief moment, he made me feel like the greatest person in the world.  It was no benefit to him.  Not only was I too young to vote, I wasn’t even a resident.  I couldn’t wait to go back to Grandpa and tell him about who I met.  My grandfather was a die-hard Democrat and very active in politics.  Cliff Hansen was a Republican.  I asked Grandpa what he thought of Mr. Hansen.  He replied, “He’s a pretty nice guy…for a Republican”.  He smiled and winked.

Mr. Hansen radiated kindness and respect for others, and I never forgot that brief encounter with him.  He served as a U.S. Senator until 1978.  When he passed away in 2009, the praises and recognition were overflowing.

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