My goals: related, but sometimes in conflict
I have several different goals for this blog. First and foremost, I hope that my own experience and learning about virtue will be helpful to other people who are trying to improve their lives too. In that regard, I try to keep my posts as open to people of any background at all as possible.
But another goal, that comes into occasional conflict with that first, is to teach about the history, philosophy, and nature of the seven classical western virtues: the four cardinal virtues and the three theological virtues. This means, when I’m talking about faith, hope, and love, discussing the their specifically religious, Roman Catholic, aspects.
(Another goal, by the way, is to develop my skills and build a career as a writer. So, if any of you out there are editors – please drop me a line! I’m also willing and able to give live presentations on virtue or a variety of other topics.)
The question at hand
In the last couple posts on hope, I’ve steered clear of the theological or religious aspects of that virtue. I’ve tried to keep it as “natural” as possible, because I don’t want to offend or exclude anyone. At the same time, (as I alluded to in my choice of image,) I have no desire to hide or gloss over the fact that this virtue has a particularly Christian core.
I’m just not quite sure how to approach it.
So, I’m preparing another post on the theological aspect of hope that I plan to post a little later today. I would greatly appreciate your feedback – especially if you are not Catholic or Christian – so that I can strike the right balance between legitimate respect for other traditions and accurate portrayal of my own.
Thanks!
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