The intersection of reputation and ethics

According to an English dictionary, reputation is a general estimation that the public has for a person" or a report an individual is known with. Reputation is built from a consistent lifestyle that an individual practices while associating with others, thus, it's built over the years. People can be known with certain habits that make their actions and decisions predictable. It begins with the first encounter, then the subsequent meetings until a fact is established about that individual. However, there are two things an individual can be known for, it's either an individual does certain things or not(either good or bad).

How important is reputation
Some years ago, I returned home and gave a report to one of our tenants. Then a few minutes later the person whom I had given a report about him came and told his own story which was different from what I had earlier said. The woman told him what I had said and followed it with the statement "I know him, he can't lie". I was shocked with the level of confidence she said and it made me wonder why she said so. This only made me realize that people study us and what they've learned about us over the years gives them confidence in us.

Reputation build trust. It depends on what we are known for, but people build trust over the reports and personal encounters they have with us. Not all reports are true especially if the people in question do not know us on a personal level, but reputation helps foster trust and once that trust is there, it paves way for opportunities and relationships. Because people love to associate with people whom they can trust on certain matters.

Photo source

Gains societal support. Imagine someone who's known for stealing, people often don't give their support or show confidence in him when he's accused of stealing. Even if he didn't do it, it's often hard for people to believe he wasn't involved and that's because of the report they have about him. Good reputation helps us gain support from the public in times of trouble and standing as a guarantor for such an individual.

Reputation can build or break us. In times when certain individuals are needed for certain roles, reputation is often considered. Reputation paves the way for our growth or leads us to our fall. It doesn't matter if an individual has changed or not, the past reports about people often finding them and either building or breaking them. However there are times Where reputation may be misconstrued
There's this statement that goes "once a thief, always a thief". This ideology sometimes may be wrong about an individual. As important as reputation is, change also is constant, and there are often factors that prompt certain acts and don't make it their habit. By this, I'll argue that reputation can be misconstrued by individuals who have little or no personal relationship with an individual, and sometimes different individuals know us for different reports.

This is in response to the Hive naija contest. It's opened for all users

Posted Using InLeo Alpha