Virtues and Vices

I would like to talk about twenty human traits. Seven are true virtues, and seven are vices and the other six are false virtues. Let’s do the false virtues first. First of all I do not regard

Humility as a virtue even though the Church claims to prize it. The second phony virtue is

Submission. To be submissive is something the church prizes but it is no virtue in itself. If a virtue isn’t worth doing it for its own sake it really isn’t a virtue. The next one is

Temperance. This means a systematic denial of “the flesh”. Some virtues and vices are not polar opposites. For instance though Lust is a vice, the other carried to extremes is no virtue. Denial of the flesh either by not drinking coffee or eating sugar or not smoking or drinking is no real virtue. Some like Ned Flanders might even add “overly exciting amusement park rides” to the list. And of course this “virtue” usually features denial of the biologically normal sexual urges. The fourth false virtue is a related one- -

Piety. This is the priding one’s self on his purity and parading his virtue to others and advertising his life as some example to be emulated. The next virtue is another bogus one and that’s

Inerrancy or “Never making a mistake”. Mistakes are a part of living and it’s what you do after you notice your mistake that matters. The idea of “never being wrong” is held as a God like quality somehow humans are supposed to emulate as though we were walking computers. The final false virtue is

Optimism. This is a “pie in the sky” optimism that is not based on anything factual, and as we said a couple postings back, an optimism that more often leads to inaction rather than action. It’s this false belief “God is in control” even when you have screwed up your own life royal and have probably screwed up other people’s lives on the way, too.

Below is a list of the Seven True Virtues.

Courage: This one that seems to have eluded the church fathers even though it is a quality called for a lot and will serve you in a lot of areas. The lack of coursge manifests itself in all sorts of ways such as not facing your responsibilities.

Honesty: This only involves not lying to others but also not lying to yourself, and not fearing the truth from others when you hear it. It involves a lack lf pretentiousness.

Charity: This one of compassion tword your fellow man is one heralded a lot by the church. Whether it is the supreme virtue can be debated.

Fidelity or Faithfulness. This involves faithfulness to people as well as faithfulness to your own ideas and moral scruples. It’s amazing how many will sell out for a price, even Abraham, founder of the Hebrew religion.

Justice: People are to abstain from violating the rights of others and to frown on the violation of rights committed by other people. People are not to condone evil but to fight for good, even if it is inconvienient. Many are afraid to do this.

Perseverence: That is to “not give up” and “not lose hope”. One should always keep a stiff upper lip and make the best of a situation and see a situation as one that can be overcome if you have the right plan. The good is worth striving for.

Prudence: This alludes to wisdom or using sound judgement in your decision making. People should always do what is “proper” or prudent. People should make the best impression possible to others and also exercise mental self discipline & clarity of judgement. One should endeavor to properly “size up a situation”.

The Seven Deadly Vices emcompass the following

Wrathfulness or Huberous: This involves uncontrolled rage against your neighbor and thinking thinking things like “He has a lot of gall to do that. I’m going to teach him a lesson” and emotions like “Who does he think he is?”

Treachery or Betrayal: This is one the Church does not recognize as one of the seven deadly vices and I’m wondering why? This is plotting to do evil to someone behind his back- - and to be two-faced and duplicitus while doing it.

Lust: This one is self explanatory but I could have easily said “Addiction” because this one involves either a physiological or psychological addiction to an activity one is compelled to do and one feels enslaved by and can’t get away from.

Averice Less than a desire to own things- - this is a avarice to own People and to seek power and control over others so you can make them do your bidding. It is probably the most important vice that politicians are guilty of.

Sloth or Laziness: This one is pretty self explanatory and in this case it is the polar opposite of a lack of perseverance. Idleness is the Devil’s workshop.

Hypocracy: This means being two-faced, phoney and pretensious, and your word not being worth a dime because you engage in constant self-adulation. These are people who can’t face themselves. This is basically the opposite of honesty.

Squandering: This one involves waste. Waste of time and waste of possessions and wastes of other people’s time. There is a presumption reminiscent of Homer Simpson here that waste and pollution don’t matter. It’s a sense of entitlement.