Character Building

Everyone who has ever lived has come across the term "character building" at one point or another. Whether it came from a parent or a boss or any kind of superior, we've all experience it. But what does it really mean?
Where I go to school, I have to do 20 hours of community service every year. I usually do this over the summer. When I commemted once on how my summer was being wasted by this and other activities, my father told me that he would make my summer meaningful by filling it all up with community service, and making me get a job. Well, at fifteen, there aren't many job opportunities out there, but I would happily get a job this summer if I could find one. Community service, however, is a different story. 20 hours is the requirement, so why do more than necessary? I asked my father this, very much expecting the response I was soon to recieve: "It builds character."
What, doing things you don't want to do builds character? "Yes" my father replied. He went on about setting long term goals that took effort to achieve, and I got to thinking, what really builds character?
I don't believe that community service will build character. If you have a certain orginazation that you really believe in and respect and support, then yes, it probably will. Forced labor teaches you that sometimes you have to do things you don't want to, but again, it doesn't build character. Community service is a nice thing, but it doesn't build character for those who don't want to do it.
My father said one thing that helped me, if not him, understand what character building was all about. he said, "If you were on the beaches of Normandy, we would all be speaking German right now." Well, this is a ridiculous statement, but it helps one to understand the true meaning of character building. Character building isn't work for the sake of work, or tedium for the sake of tedium, or time wasted at something you don't want to do. Character building isn't even work for the sake of character building.
Character building is working hard to achieve something that you want, that you believe in or that you hold dear, whether the end results help you or the ones you love, or even people you don't know. Sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice is meaningless. it's what the sacrifice is for that gives it substance.
So shut up and let me enjoy my summer.