Virtue Quest

When I started this project, I used the image of a journey to describe growth in virtue. Every step takes you closer to your destination, and every step matters, and so on.

Lately, though, another image has been coming to mind: building a house. First, you have to lay the foundation, then erect the frame structure, then hang the walls, and the plumbing and wiring, and so on and so forth. If any of the major elements are missing, the whole house collapses. But there are also lots of choices, such as the kind of siding or roofing material, the color, whether there’s a deck or not; and, while these don’t affect the basic structure, they do add character to the house. They make it unique.

Likewise with virtue: some virtues are absolutely necessary. They’re called cardinal virtues for a reason. No one’s life will remain standing without a foundation of prudence, a strong frame of justice, fortitude to stand against the storm and temperance to hold the different parts of the structure in right relationship to each other.

Other choices and actions are more individual: virtues of music or art, virtues of law or medicine or craftsmanship, virtues of humor and wit, and so on. These develop one’s character – not to make us more human in the basic sense, but to make us more ourselves. They make us to be better at being this person.

I don’t think I’ll abandon the journey image. It still resonates with me on many levels: the importance of each step, of putting one foot in front of the other; the time that it takes to reach a destination, and the beauty of all the things you can see along the way.

But, at the very least, I’ve found another image to add to my vocabulary. It seems to be working for me. I hope it works for you as well.

So far, this has got to be my favorite line from Aristotle’s Nichomachian Ethics:

The self-indulgent man, as was said, is not apt to repent…. (VII.8)

Ah! How true! But then, is there any hope for me?

Temperance, self-indulgence, and incontinence

Aristotle is contrasting the self-indulgent person with the incontinent person. Here’s the difference: while both are intemperate, that is, both pursue pleasure or avoid pain to excess, the incontinent person is either overwhelmed by desire or is just plain thoughtless; the self-indulgent person, on the other hand, has made a deliberate decision to pursue pleasure or avoid vice in some excessive way.

The incontinent person just grabs that extra chocolate on impulse; the self-indulgent person decides that a diet of chocolate is really what’s best for him.

Now, Aristotle says that … well, I’ll let him speak for himself:

Now, since the incontinent man is apt to pursue, not on conviction, bodily pleasures that are excessive and contrary to the right rule, while the self-indulgent man is convinced because he is the sort of man to pursue them, it is on the contrary the former that is easily persuaded to change his mind, while the latter is not. For virtue and vice respectively preserve and destroy the first principle, and in actions the final cause is the first principle.

Okay, maybe he’s not entirely clear. Here’s how I read it. The incontinent person knows he has done something wrong, but the self-indulgent person is convinced of a lie: that he is acting rightly. So, it is easier for the incontinent person to admit wrongdoing and to take steps to reform his behavior (such as keeping the chocolate under lock and key) than it is for the self-indulgent person who sees no need for reform.

This is because the whole goal of virtue is to bring us in touch with reality, while vice is wrong and harmful exactly because it distorts or denies reality. (That’s roughly what Aristotle is talking about with the whole “first principle” stuff.)

Repent! Repent!

I think one of the reasons this line caught my attention was because I so strongly associate the word “repent” with religious preaching. But Aristotle is using it in its basic meaning: to feel sorrow (or penitence) for what one has done. And this sorrow is the foundation of a “change of mind”, which could also be translated by another word with religious overtones: conversion.

And yet, this is exactly what Aristotle suggests: if you’ve done something wrong, be sorry and change your behavior. Don’t make excuses. Don’t beat yourself up, either. Just keep in touch with reality, and try to correct your mistakes.

Because, while this means feeling sorry every so often, it also leads to a fuller and deeper happiness: the happiness of being fully human, fully yourself.

If only I could remember that every time I pass the candy dish….

Wait a sec. Haven’t I been saying that virtue is a process that grows over time as you put in diligent practice and repetition?

Yup.

So what’s this “Instant Virtue” all about?

The Enemy: Procrastination

Here’s the thing: one of my greatest vices is procrastination. Never put off till tomorrow what you can put off till next week, I say.

So, if this is a vice I want to overcome, how do I practice the opposite virtue?

Procrastination is, at root, either intemperance (because I’m following false pleasures) or cowardice (because I’m afraid of difficulty or danger.) Now, I’m guilty of both of these; in fact, in me, I think they’re two sides of the same coin: I’m afraid of losing some false pleasure that I want more than reality.

The Weapon: Action

The opposing virtue, then, is temperate and courageous action. But me, being such a self-indulgent coward, I need to start small. Really small. Let me give you an example.

I need to put my dishes in the dishwasher as soon as I’m done eating. Granted, the effort is minimal, and the time spent is minimal, but for some reason I’m in the vicious habit of leaving the pasta sauce or the egg whites to dry and harden – which just makes those dishes harder to clean up later. So I need to take immediate action, both to grow in virtue and to increase true pleasure in my life.

I also need to fold or hang up my clothes when I take them off at night. At present, I tend to let them drop onto the floor or (if I’m particularly concientious) hang them on the back of my chair. This, of course, results in wrinkly clothes and a lack of wearable items when I’m most in need. And, if I’m honest, it’s truly rare that I’m so very exhausted that I can’t fold my trousers up.

Instant Virtue Over Time

I’ve already started building these good habits. I’m far from perfect: I have a sweater and a jacket sitting on the floor right now. But I’ll pick them up as soon as I’m done writing this.

But even in the week or so that I’ve been working on this, it’s helped me to pay my credit card bill on time, and to return some phone calls and emails promptly, and so on. I’m still a newbie grasshopper, but I’m already better than I was. I’m doing what needs doing, when it’s easiest to do. And that is a great start toward virtue.

If you want to start making progress down the path of virtue, please join the quest! We’ll make this journey together!

First off, welcome to all my new readers! I do appreciate your coming ’round. Please make yourself at home and check out the rest of the site. If you have any ideas on how I can improve it, let me know!

So, on to the regularly scheduled post, already in progress…

What Kind of Virtue Am I Seeking?

I’m pretty much working on the classical “cardinal” virtues, as well as the “theological” virtues, that have formed the cornerstone of Western ethical thought for the past two or three millennia. They are:

• Cardinal Virtues
• Prudence (sometimes called “practical wisdom”)
• Justice
• Fortitude (aka “Courage”)
• Temperance (sometimes called “self-control”)
• Theological Virtues
• Faith
• Hope
• Charity (aka, “Love” or “Agape”)

Now, I picked these because, frankly, they’re the most familiar to me and I’ve actually done some study on them. I know that lots of other people (from Confucius to Benjamin Franklin) have written about virtues, and come up with other lists. I’m hoping, as I keep writing this blog, to learn about some of those.

But for now, I’m going with what I know. And, since it’s held its own for several thousand years, I figure it’s a good enough place to start.

Where I’m Starting From

For me, at least, I think the main starting point will be Temperance. I’ve mentioned before that I’m less than perfect when it comes to my dietary habits. I also could stand to work on my sleep habits, and my time management, and so on. I’ll say more in the coming days.

What Is Temperance?

For now, I want to clarify a little how I understand Temperance. It’s not necessarily about cutting back; rather, I think it’s about putting the right things in the right place in my life. I should eat enough of the right kinds of food: not too much or too little, and not the wrong things (like an all chocolate diet, or a hemlock salad).

More than that, it’s about keeping my desires in line with reality. It’s about getting away from the fantasy that I can (much less, should!) feel absolutely fantastic all the time, that life should be a piece of cake, that what I want is the most important thing in the world.

It’s connecting to the reality that life has its ups and downs. It’s recognizing that some hard things are worthwhile, more worthwhile than some quick fixes.

And that’s what virtue is all about, as far as I can see: keeping in touch with reality.

I am well acquainted with failure. I’ve failed tests, failed whole courses. I’ve been fired from jobs, lost friends, burned bridges. Heck, I’ve even made my mother cry.

And yet, I find real hope and insight in that old saying, “The only real failure is the one who fails to try.”

Progress in Virtue

Virtue is not an either/or proposition. It’s not something you can “succeed” or “fail” at. It’s a journey of sorts. The real question is, how far along the road are you? The 90-year-old master still is walking the same road as the 13-year-old beginner, and both can stumble or turn the wrong way. And they both have the same choice to make, every day and in every action: to stay on the road, or to abandon it altogether.

So I keep reminding myself that virtue is something I make progress in, not something I succeed at. Even attempting to be more thoughtful, or more courageous, or more self-controlled – even if I fail in achieving some goal at the time – still is a step along the road. It’s a step toward greater prudence, greater fortitude, greater temperance. In short, it’s progress.

Practicing Virtue

Whenever I remember this, I look for opportunities to take another step, even a small step, along the road. It’s like practicing the piano (or, in my case, the bass guitar). If I take the time to practice scales and chord patterns, then it’s easier to play a song with other people.

And if I take the opportunity to think before I speak, or to face some small fear, or to let pass one bowl of ice cream, then I’m better prepared for bigger challenges, and for challenges that catch me by surprise. I’m a little further down the road, and even if I face a setback, it won’t set me back so far.

Learning from Experience

Saturday was not really a great day for me. I stayed in bed longer than I planned to. I didn’t finish the chapter I wanted to finish, didn’t call the friend I wanted to call, didn’t make it to the library or get the bathrooms cleaned. But I did get a little bit done. And yesterday, Sunday, I remembered how I just never got started on Saturday. So I learned from that: I got started right away, and Sunday turned out pretty well: made breakfast for my housemates, finished the chapter, met some new friends, and so on. Neither day was perfect, but both days saw me on the road. That’s the goal: just stay on the road.

Walking the road of virtue yourself? Join me and we’ll walk it together!

So, of all the various self-improvement possibilities, why did I choose the ancient path of virtue?

Good question.

The answer is, it seems to be the best description of my own experience – both of myself and of the world around me. Here, I’ll give an example.

An Example
I have a problem with food: if it’s in front of me, it ends up in my belly in short order. Doesn’t matter much what kind of food it is. Even if it’s something I just hate, if it sits in front of me for more than a minute and a half my hand will reach out and I’ll probably get it halfway to my mouth before I remember just how much it disgusts me. I’m literally not thinking about it at all.

So, how do I deal with this kind of mostly involuntary problem?

What Didn’t Work
Moral systems don’t do much good. I just end up self-flagellating over my worthlessness as a human being. And the truth is, it’s not really a moral act.

Psychological and psychiatric systems only cover part of the issue. Sure, something is going on in my neurochemistry, but that’s not something I can manipulate with precision. Sure, something is going on with my conflicting desires and thought patterns and what not, but just knowing what’s going on does very little to change my life.

Why Virtue Works
But virtue, well, there’s a simple description both of what the problem is and of how to solve it. It has to do with habits. The problem is that, over time, I have built up a habit of stuffing my face. The solution is not only to stop stuffing my face, but to start treating food as it’s meant to be treated. And, over time, build up a new habit of eating normally.

What do I mean, “as it’s meant to be treated”? Well, this is the other thing about virtue that really works for me. Virtue is all about acting according to the order of a thing’s nature. So, as a human being, I thrive best when I act according to human nature. My hand works best when it manipulates things.  My eyes work best when exposed to the visible spectrum of light.

And my whole body, especially my digestive system, works best when it has the right amount of the right kinds of food.

Simple, right? Absolutely. But easy? Not at all.

And, again, virtue acknowledges the difficulty of developing new, better habits to overcome old, bad habits. No quick fixes, no “cures”. Instead, a refreshingly realistic assessment of where I’m at and the struggles that lie ahead. It’s good to know I’m not a misfit or a moral moron simply because I find it difficult to do the good thing.

There’s more to it than that, and I’ll explain more as I go. If you want to follow my progress, or – even better – to grow in virtue yourself, please join the Quest! Together, we can help each other become the people we’re meant to become!