Thursday, April 25, 2013

V is for Virtue

I'm sure most every one is aware of the Seven vices - especially thanks to the movie Se7en (I fell asleep during it). Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. But are you aware that there are also seven virtues? There are - they're the opposites of the vices and may not mean exactly what you think.

  • Chastity - meaning purity, knowledge, honesty, wisdom
  • Temperance - meaning self-control, justice, honour, absetention
  • Charity - meaning will, benevolence, generosity, sacrifice
  • Diligence - meaning persistence, effort, ethics, rectitude
  • Patience - meaning peace, mercy, ahimsa, sufferance
  • Kindness - meaning satisfaction loyalty, compassion, integrity
  • Humility - meaning bravery, modesty, reverence, altruism


Virtue is not left to stand alone - Confucius

There are a few words mentioned on that list that I've talked about before. And you're probably finding the actual meaning of the virtues as surprising as I did. Such as chasity - it's not about not having sex. It's about keeping yourself pure and honest - lies tarish you (or your soul if you prefer). Knowing the meaning of the virtues reminds me that leading a virtuous life is not just about leading a good life and trying to do good. Heck, virtues are about being the best, shiniest you that you can be.

It's good every now and then to remember what the seven virtues really are and to try to live up to such incredible standards. And to live up to those standards it might sometimes seem as though we must alienate those around us, but as Confucious reminds us - we will not be alone. We are never alone.

2 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful post. I didn't know the what the seven virtues are. They are pretty amazing. Not scary at all.

    Jaime at Awakenings and Reflections

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  2. I remember looking them up once, but I think our resources were different since those are not the definitions I came up with lol.

    I think it's good to have a discussion about what a virtue is, and the meanings of the virtues since all to often, historical figures have twisted words and concepts that were meant to be, well, virtuous.

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