VIRTUE, HAPPINESS AND ALL THAT STUFF

WHAT IS VIRTUE, WHAT IS TOO MUCH, WHAT IS TOO LITTLE?

On my walk this morning I thought about “virtue” as a subject to write about. Don’t ask me where the idea came from. If I had a religious soul, I would say God spoke to me. Whether one is religious or agnostic has nothing to do with virtue. It’s a false concept that only the religious are virtuous. Anyway, as I gathered my info, I soon realized what a bucket of worms I opened up. Hardly anyone is in agreement with a solid set of virtues, and what one virtue means to one person does not necessarily agree with another.

Say virtue to a hundred people and it will spark a hundred different things in their minds. Of course that depends on the mix of people. If done in a church, it might not be such a variety as it would be if you asked an odd gathering of women or a group of all men. Personally, to me, as well as many others, it might spark and image of a virtuous woman, or in these days, a young woman, a very young woman, maybe a child woman. It’s no secret that a large percentage of good girls lose their virtue/innocents at a younger and younger age. It seems like they are in competition for earning a merit badge for Bad Girl of the year. Girls of today are far worse about bragging about their conquests than were boys of yesteryear.

It is a fact that Virtue has many synonyms and only a couple anonyms; most do have something to do with religion, of course. I’ll cover a few of the synonyms and both of the anonyms.

First, let me warn you that too much of a good thing is just as bad, if not worse, as too little. Be careful of committing one of the seven deadly sins. If you don’t know what they are, look them up as I did. I’ll cover pride, gluttony and anger. Let’s don’t get on our high-horse about this now. Everyone breaks one or more of them on a daily basis.

Pride: or vanity: an excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Don’t hide your face now. Most everyone is guilty of this one. Remember, over kill is just as bad as under kill. Where the mean lies depends on in which group one belongs. It would be different for, say a Buddhist, a Christian, a man or a woman. Pride hides behind many masks. Denial is one of them, where one denies their abilities in the hopes of getting more praise.  Good or bad, accept it and move on. Above all try to move closer to the mean.

Gluttony: an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires. This is something the good old U S of A has grown famous for. Of course this could refer to something other than food; things, like money, having a car or house that exceeds one’s requirements. For instance, a large percentage of televangelist and other church leaders are blatantly guilty of gluttony. Yet one can tell by the enthusiastic manner they go after their wish to stuff their gluttonous coffers. Either they know not what they are doing or just don’t give a damn.

Large number of their flocks are shamed into giving to their cause more than their fair share. This is an example of too much on one end (the televangelists) and too little or too much on the other end (the poor lost sheep) who can’t afford what they give but, because of shame, they take away from themselves or their families to add more riches to the scum buckets i.e. the televangelists.  It really makes me physically ill at some of the high pressure sales tactics these ungodly, so-called preachers of God’s words are committing. You would swear you were watching one of those sales channels. “This item will only be open for another five minutes. Hurry now. God doesn’t want his followers to hesitate. Fear not, your seed will grow and prosper.” I keep saying I’m going to stop watching them, but I don’t. Does that make me guilty of self punishment?

They are mesmerizing and one is quickly drawn into them, for whatever reason; mine is to see just how far these gluttonous shysters carry on their antics. I watched one just the other day repeatedly jump up and down like a school girl as he held a check in his raised hand and shouted with glee, “ten thousand dollars, ten thousand dollars,” as he danced in a circle. The check was from a couple who had just lost their son and felt obliged to make a contribution. I wondered. About the Televangelist: about the couple: about the son? Did each achieve their happiness?

Anger/wrath: is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. Even God is guilty of committing this one. At least I’ve heard the phrase many times about God inflicting his wrath on someone. I have seen many places in His book where his anger did not warrant his wrath. From the incident in the garden onward. Then the New Testament came along and made an attempt to smooth it out. I don’t want to get into all that. Here again, no anger at all is not good either. Yet mediocrity, according to His Son’s teachings, is like warm water to be spit out. But where is the middle ground? It could be different form one group to another, or it could be something to not even consider; like God’s wrath.

Aristotle defined a virtue as a balance point between a deficiency and an excess of a trait. The point of greatest virtue lies not in the exact middle, but at a golden mean sometimes closer to one extreme than the other. For example, courage is the mean between cowardice and foolhardiness, confidence the mean between self-deprecation and vanity, and generosity the mean between miserliness and extravagance.

Virtue is the rational attainment of or recognizing certain facts of morality, and acting in and appropriate way. It involves thinking and acting. While a Muslim would feel comfortable within his realm of morality to have his wife stoned for unfaithfulness and feel no guilt while a Christian might fear the fires of hell if he merely slapped the snot out of his wife for committing the same offence.

According to some, there is only one basic virtue; rationality. All others are various forms of it.  We have covered a few above. Here are a few more: independence, honesty,  truth, courage justice, and the pursuit of happiness. How much or how little one contributes to each depends on your moral nature. That is something one gains or learns while growing into maturity. Yet it is something malleable and can be adjusted.

The opposite of virtue is vice, evil, watch it or you might end up in the wrong place, if that is your beliefs.

What does one gain from being virtuous? Why, happiness. Happiness is long lasting i.e., it’s being in love with living. Just don’t overdo it. Going around giggling with a dreamy light in your eyes tends to set people wondering. Let’s not get too kinky here.

To some happiness is gained through vice and evil among other things, all of which have nothing to do with virtue.

Build confidence and discover the virtues that allow you to achieve the things that make you happy.

I checked out some lists of virtues from several famous people. Here is the one I like best.

Benjamin Franklin’s 13 Virtues

1. Temperance: Eat not to Dullness. Drink not to Elevation.
2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling Conversation.
3. Order: Let all your Things have their Places. Let each Part of your Business have its Time.
4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality: Make no Expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e. Waste nothing.
6. Industry: Lose no Time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary Actions.
7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful Deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice: Wrong none, by doing Injuries or omitting the Benefits that are your Duty.
9. Moderation: Avoid Extremes. Forbear resenting Injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no Uncleanness in Body, Clothes or Habitation.
11. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at Trifles, or at Accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity: Rarely use Venery but for Health or Offspring; Never to Dullness, Weakness, or the Injury of your own or another's Peace or Reputation.
13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

See there. Only one reference hints at religion. Remember, everything in moderation. You be the judge. We all know when we go out of bounds, when we do too much and when we do too little. Your God doesn’t have to be watching.