In a world where reputation and public image are seen as the core essence of a human being, it is solely important to play wise and not leave oneself in the dirt of humiliation, which can lead to cognitive dissonance. When you fail people's trust, consequences follow.
First, what is this REPUTATION? The core of reputation is to maintain a high level of social control, built over time with consistency, reliability, and a mass amount of social and quality interaction. It goes further as a means by which society perceives your core values, your integrity, your expertise, and your dignity. Personally, I think reputation is a solid hold in every business. If you're fair, honest, and trustworthy, then you have made a decent name for yourself in the business world, and of course you're going to be respected in both professional and personal settings.
In today's world, what people deem fit for reputation is massive wealth. Though wealth is of course a factor, it's important that we note that wealth is just a part, not a whole, which means one can have so much wealth but have a sour reputation in public eyes.
But let's move on to the PUBLIC IMAGE. What makes this so important is that, as humans, we almost always seek validation from the public's eyes. This is how you are perceived entirely by the broader public, which in a way is somehow different from reputation. Here, people want to weigh your honesty, your integrity, and what you offer or bring to the table. But public image is like ensuring, in the eyes of many, that what they see aligns with who you are and what you stand for.
For example, a person with a tarnished image known to public eyes can never bring forth positive results. Such a person can claim to have changed, but he or she has already left a public impression that makes it hard to believe that they have changed or turned a new leaf.
Take, for example, a thief who claims to be born again and become a pastor. The public would always see him as what he had already presented himself as first. So it would be hard to accommodate or accept whatever comes out of such a person's mouth.
I remember back then, in college, I always wanted to keep my reputation and public image clean. Staying out of trouble and earning the trust of others was easy because I wasn't a thief, nor was I a disobedient student. I pride myself on my dignity because messing around with lecturers was solely out of the options; it was study hard and no carryovers till I graduated.
Of course, not everyone was like myself. I remember most of my colleagues that we all started together; some got pregnant along the way, being single moms and bringing their kids to school, which was a bit of a struggle for them. Now they have given the public an impression of themselves. Then those who were caught cheating in exams and tests and going as far as bribing a lecturer to pass them, unfortunately for these ones, they have soiled or left a stain on their reputation.
In conclusion, reputation and public image are equally important, though in this generation, a lot of the so-called Gen-Z have found a way to manipulate the public view of themselves. You see a human being on social media living the core essence of a fake life, yet people still believe them. They fake their reputation, wealth, friends, and lifestyle just to get public approval. Some go as far as trying to please their peers by indulging in criminal things like drugs, robbery, etc. just to keep up with social media approval, and let's just say it comes with its own consequences.
For me, don't just live for the fun of it; just because you want to have fun, you forget that the are people watching you. The moment society condemns you, nothing can save you, not even the best education or job can—so keeping both your reputation and public image true makes you stand out. So don't be judged for the bad you represent, but for the good you stand out for.
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