The How

Virtue

Doing what's right regardless of personal benefit or outcome

Even though I put virtues in the world of the invisible it is something which exists at every level. Ultimately virtue is core element of how we relate to ourselves, others, and the worlds visible and invisible. The simplest definition of virtue which I will use is simply this "it is to do the right thing regardless of personal benefit or outcomes". We can be people of vice, deceiving those around us or we can be honest with others. Ultimately I believe that we are called to pursue and attain all of the virtues, but to better understand ourselves and our struggles there are certain virtues which we naturally find ourselves gravitate towards and come natural to us. Often when we live out these virtues is when we find the most fulfillment, if you want to know what ones you naturally gravitate towards you can do so at this website: https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths. This is not a comprehensive list but are based on many traditional lists of virtue.

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Virtues vs. Values

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People have often asked me what the difference between the two are, in some ways there is overlap (remember that clean categories never truly exist), however, quite simply, virtue is a reflection of ones character, and values are those things the person is oriented towards. E.g. a person who values truth will commit themselves to pursuing truth, everything in their life will be framed in the context of true and untrue, correct and incorrect etc. However, if they do not have the virtue of honesty then they run the risk of deceiving themselves, believing something to be true without an honest evaluation of their motivations or biases. Values are often easy in that we can often warp or twist them to serve ourselves and our interests, virtue challenges us to walk a hard path no matter our place in life.

Values also frame our life and our perception, as indicated above, they are not automatically virtuous even if on the surface they may seem so. For example, if a person values justice, they will see the world in a framework of justice, their god becomes justice itself and what is "right" or "wrong" is going to be viewed in what is just or fair. However, justice so easily can turn to wrath if it is not tempered by something else such as love or forgiveness. What will be "virtue" for this person is subject to what serves their master, which is "justice" and thus "virtue" to this person may even mean violent, tortuous retributive "justice" which is really just wrath in disguise.