Letter : To your friend writing about his faults and also about the good points of his character

Writing about faults and good points of character

Examination Hall,
Karachi.
August 20, 2014

My Dear,

I am in receiving of your letter. I was surprised to read that you want me to give my free opinion about you. Ordinarily, I would think twice before speaking on such matters because few people like to hear the truth. In your case, however, I have no hesitation because I know you thoroughly well.

You have definite qualities of head and heart. You are very intelligent indeed. In fact, a less intelligent person would never have asked others to bring out his virtues and defects. You have consistently improved upon your capacity to listen. Now you can be trusted with giving others a patient-hearing. You may at times lose patience under great provocation but certainly you are not liable to lose your nerves. Your ideas on friendship are no doubt high. You are worthy of being called a friend in need.

Another point which goes in your favour is that you are very hard working. You are kind and generous by nature and cannot tolerate injustice being done to anybody. You are not liable to be led away by personal prejudices. You cannot, I am sure, be bribed. In fact, you have right qualities which a prospective candidate for I.A.S. should possess.

In spite of this there is a great drawback in you which alone can mar all your qualities. You are very emotional and liable to be swayed away by pity. Sometimes this creates in you a sense of quality and you cannot decide matters forthwith. Remember you restless you were when you caught a pickpocket red-handed but were about to leave him after patiently hearing from him the misery with which his children would face in his absence. In similar cases your sympathies may be misplaced and you, in spite of yourself, fail to do justice.

Well, you know everybody has some fault or the other in spite of his virtues. But it is only the wise who go in for heart-searching. That in itself is a great quality. I have given my free opinion about you. Write to me how do you feel after reading it?

How are your mother and father? Please convey my best regards to them.

Yours sincerely,
XYZ