True Character

A long time ago, probably in grade or high school, I was taught a hebrew saying. I don't remember the first half, but it goes something like this-- The true character of a person can be found through three things (and here is the hebrew): b'kiso, b'koso, u b'kaaso.

Meaning:

The true character of a person can be found through three things: his pockets, his cup, and his anger.

His pockets: how deep are they? How much does he give to charity?
His cup: what he says when he's drunk, without any inhibitions.
His anger: how he reacts when he's angry.

And it's immediately what I thought of after reading about Mel Gibson's latest and greatest public embarassment. Honestly, after the whole controversy over his last movie, Passion of the Christ, I didn't really think all that much about him being anti-Semitic; more specifically, I just thought he was a crazy kook and didn't deserve my watching of his movies any longer (sorta like how I feel about Tom Cruise). There was no real definitive proof of him being anti-Semitic to point to. Now, though, this is icing on the cake.

There are no justifications for what he said. The hatred in his heart was on display a few nights ago for everyone to see. He can't deny it or apologize for it, because we all know he meant it.

Alcohol can do strange things to people, but there's no doubt in my mind that it also holds the power to shine a light on the true essence of a person as well. That's not to say that whatever you see your friend (or even yourself) do when they are drunk is the defition of who he or she is. But some things can be telling. It's just another interesting insight into the complexities of our character and thoughts.