The Little Engine That Could

"Again, I want to emphasise that my approach has been to think about some different fields and genres, and try to pick a top book or books on moral character from each. For my last choice, I was thinking about children’s literature , science fiction , and fantasy . Ordinarily I probably would have said The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings . But I have three young children, so we are not there yet. Instead, I chose The Little Engine That Could because it is one of our family favourites, and because it is all about moral character. At the beginning of the story, a little train is on its way to deliver toys and food to the good little boys and girls on the other side of the mountain, an example of kindness and generosity. But then the train breaks down, and the dolls and toys ask for help from other trains that come by. Sadly, they get turned down again and again. The Shiny New Engine says he is way too fancy to pull the likes of them, an example of elitism and arrogance. The Freight Engine says no because he is too important to help dolls and toys, an example of pride. The Rusty Old Engine is much too tired to even try, an example of defeatism. The dolls and toys are about to lose hope, when along comes the little blue engine. She has never done a big job like this before. But she is powerfully moved by the hearts of the dolls and toys, and by the thought of the children on the other side of the mountain not receiving the delivery. So while telling herself, “I think I can, I think I can,” she successfully wills herself up the mountain, and everyone is overjoyed. Here we see many virtues on display. Empathy, compassion, and kindness for other people. Hope that she can accomplish a very difficult task. Courage to overcome her fears. Fortitude, self-reliance, and determination to finish the job and not give up. Gratitude for what the little blue engine has done. Character is everywhere in the story. I’d be nervous talking about my character strengths. I’m not sure I have many – any? – and my own theory in The Character Gap predicts that I don’t have any either! Weaknesses are easier. I struggle with pride, for instance, and with comparing myself to others and judging people unfairly. I could use a lot more courage in my character too. Coming back to our earlier discussion, role models have had a big role to play in shaping my own moral character, and they have helped me to work on these areas of weakness in particular. These models include fictional examples like Victor Hugo’s bishop. They include historical examples like Jesus , Lincoln, and Tubman. They include prominent examples from today, like Paul Farmer. And of course they include people close to my life, such as my family and closest friends. I admire and strive to emulate all these people, and in the process they show me that I have a long way to go."