HOW TO PROGRESS IN A CORRUPTED CULTURE
Virtue is the Mother of morality, and the virtuous become her children. When you join this family, you choose to begin to conform to its culture of moral excellence. For Virtues are the habits of high moral character. These Virtues have been passed down to us from the great fathers of philosophy and theology through the ages (they are many and complex). Plato, in the Republic, gave us the Four Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude. His student Aristotle, the teacher of Alexander the Great, expands on these Cardinal Virtues with 12 virtues of his own in his Nicomachean Ethics: Courage, Temperance, Liberality, Magnificence, Magnanimity, Patience, Truthfulness, Wittiness, Friendliness, Shame, Justice, Modesty. The Apostle Paul brought the conversation into the Christian tradition by introducing the 3 Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Love- the greatest of these being Love. Later (in 590 AD), the Catholic Church gave us the seven Capital Virtues to combat the Seven Deadly Sins. Which gives us Chastity to deny Lust, Temperance to avoid Gluttony, Charity to prevent Greed, Diligence to avoid Sloth, Kindness to overcome Envy, Patience to slow Wrath, and Humility to withstand Pride.
With all of these moral attributes venerated throughout time, we face the question: Which virtues should matter most to us today? Every generation must face its own crisis of conscience and decide for itself what truth it will cling to and what moral ethic it must strive toward. In the fight for the soul of a nation, it is where the battle is fiercest that it is of most consequence, and where there is a low point in the wall, there must be the greatest defense. The purpose of this post is not to lay out a new ethic for modern man but to rediscover the ancient ones that made man modern. What are the truths that challenge our baser instincts? What is the greater civilizing force that has been forgotten? Where is the current point of attack in culture that proves that area’s strategic importance? We find our society poised on a slippery slope of self-obsession, and it is beginning to rain. How do we find solid ground again, a firm foundation, a truth that we can build our lives and homes upon? I believe that we have to look back to move forward. We must rediscover the ancient boundary stones that our forefathers set up and rebuild those walls. In the day when all that is righteous and good is under attack, Virtue will make you deadly, and the virtuous will be victorious.
“make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue…” 2 Peter 1:5
What Virtue is missing in your life- that you and God to Rebuild?
Faith | Truth | Humility | Prudence | Courage | Sacrifice | Justice
I would say that I am pretty good with Faith, Humility, and Truth. The others I believe I could use a little more working on. ^_^