Why is it that one person has a bad character and likes to speak ill of others behind their backs, but the other person says that her character is okay? Why?

Answer 1

The quality of a person's character was relative. One couldn't simply use a standard to measure whether a person was good or not. Sometimes, a person might show some negative behavior, but it did not necessarily mean that their character was bad.

Perhaps that person was badmouthing others behind their backs because they were dissatisfied or had other emotions. This kind of behavior might not mean that they really thought that others were bad. It was just words spoken out of some emotions and motives.

Another person might think that her character was okay because she was doing what she thought was right and respecting others. She might not take the initiative to speak ill of others, but she would not support or encourage those negative behaviors.

A person's character was a complicated problem that could not be judged simply by some actions or words. One needed to know more about a person's inner motives and values to make a more accurate evaluation.