Find out about the meaning of virtue, and the way to embrace seven virtues, ten virtues, or many more virtues to make your life the best it can be.
Virtues are things that are praised and people who embody them are celebrated and respected, but what are they? Are virtues things we must follow or are they things we can choose? Perhaps the most confusing thing is that different people disagree on what virtues to follow, so how can you decide what virtues are best for you? Join Mysticsense to find out what virtues are and how they make us stronger spirituality which translates into a better life. Find out what happens to our lives when we don’t live by virtue and ways you can incorporate virtues into your life.
What’s a Virtue?
Merriam-Webster online defines virtue as “Conformity to a standard of right.” and “ A commendable quality or trait.” It is being morally good and comes from the Latin root “virtus” which is derived from their word for “man.” They were referring to qualities of excellence in men from conduct to morals to physical strength. To be virtuous is to have the disposition to lean toward choices that show high moral standards. You will do what is right and avoid doing what is wrong. But to be virtuous is to do more than just make that decision. You have to prefer to make that decision and be happy to make that decision. Read about what it takes to be happy here: The Path to Happiness
Virtues are viewed as things that not only make you a better person, but they make things better for the people around you. Virtues allow you to be more considerate of other people, and also be more trustworthy. You will be fair and kind and won't put selfish desires above other people's needs. You will do what you feel is the best thing as opposed to what you want to do and you will have control of your emotions well enough to make good decisions instead of making impulsive decisions. One way to be a better version of yourself is to seek out our Higher Self. You can read about how to do that here: Your Holy Guardian Angel: The Higher Self
What Happens Without Virtues?
If you don't follow a code of virtues, you won't hold yourself accountable for the things that you say and do. That doesn't mean that you have to let other people tell you which virtues follow, however. That just means that you need to decide which ones matter to you and then stick with them. We all have bad days and want to do something that will satisfy our moods sometimes, but if we stop and think about what's going to be the best thing to do to assure good results in the long run, it helps. Without virtues, we make impulsive decisions and can regret them very soon afterwards.
We can also make ourselves untrustworthy. If people can't trust us to make the right decisions, or do things that benefit more than just a momentary urge, that can compromise our relationships. It can also compromise our own personal lives. Irrational decisions or decisions made without thinking things through can hold us back from success in life. We always look at the big picture if we follow a code of conduct that holds us to the right behavior, and it will help us to make the right decisions no matter what happens. Without the ability to do that, our decision-making capacity will suffer. Making decisions about whether to stay together or break up can be difficult but you can get help deciding that here: Navigating Breaking Up with Your Soulmate
Who Decides What Virtues to Follow?
We all do, but the question is, who will decide for you? As we grow up, the people who raise us instill values in us, but as we get older, we decide for ourselves what we value. Will you embrace the values those who raised you did, or will you have other values? Different groups of people have different lists of virtues. The classical Greeks and Romans had their own virtues. Christians have their own list of virtues. American diplomat and philosopher Ben Franklin had a different idea of what virtue is.
Greco-Roman
Plato had four classical virtues including prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice. He also added piety and wisdom. He said the virtues did not exist independently of one another and worked together. Aristotle believed that virtue is all about excelling at being human. He also said that virtue lies between deficiency and excess. Generosity lies between being miserly and being overly generous, for example. He included the intellectual virtues of knowledge, practical judgment, art, wisdom, and intuition.
The Romans sometimes associated a virtue with a god or a goddess. For example, the god Virtus was the deified personification of things the Romans valued in men such as courage, masculinity, and valor. Salus is the Roman goddess of well-being and safety and is associated with wholesomeness. Good, virtuous behavior was expected of Romans, and it was expected they would teach virtues to their children. Virtues were important in home life but they were also important in public. The way that you conducted yourself personally as well as how you treated other people was important for Romans.
Christian
Different denominations of Christianity discuss different virtues. The Catholics have seven capital virtues including humility, kindness, temperance, chastity, patience, charity, and diligence. Then they have 7 heavenly virtues which are prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope, and charity. Four of the cardinal virtues were identified by Greek philosopher Plato as necessary traits of being a good person, and these were also discussed by Cicero. These were also found in the Old Testament of the Bible in the Book of Wisdom. Paul the Apostle in one Corinthians said “ And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” Christians believe in the existence of angels, and you can read about how to work with angels here: A Complete Guide to Working With Angels
Ben Franklin
Ben Franklin had a list of thirteen qualities used to develop moral perfection in a notebook. The first was temperance which is another word for moderation and the next was silence, and he said you should only speak when it is necessary. Order or having things in their place and doing things in an organized way with another as well as resolution or determination. He said we should be frugal and industrious as well as sincere. He called for justice by wronging no one and to avoid extremes by practicing moderation. He also said that cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility were very important virtues.
Some Virtues
So, just what are these virtues that we are all supposed to lead our lives by? Well, there isn't one single list of virtues. There are many different virtues that you can embrace. Virtues are just ideals that you strive to live your life by and make you a better person. Some virtues you might like to embrace include love, honesty, compassion, self-reliance, honor, courage, self-discipline, learning, self-respect, and realism. Will you embrace any of these as your own virtues?
Love
Love. A lot of people have a lot of things to say about it, but what do you have to say about love? How do you decide who you have loving relationships with and what kind of things do you need in a relationship to feel loved? Some people believe that it's more important for them to show love than to receive love, but how do you balance that? If you don't balance how you receive love with how you get it you may find yourself taken advantage of in relationships. Remember, you have to be loved as well as give love. Read about the five love languages here: The Five Love Languages
Honesty
Some value the truth over anything else. When you're honest with people they will trust you. Some people don't like the whole truth. They would rather that you tell them beautiful lies then tell them the truth if it's something that's unpleasant. How honest are you comfortable being with people, especially if they express that they don't want the whole truth? Will you tell them the truth anyways, or will you choose your words to keep the peace? Only you can decide.
Compassion
Compassion means being sympathetic about the misfortune or suffering of other people. Understanding such things will help you to find ways to alleviate suffering. Some people try very hard to be compassionate, even if they don't understand what someone is going through because they want to help people to feel better. Will you include compassion in your list of virtues? Mother goddesses are known for being compassionate and you can read about embracing the mother goddess here: Embracing Divine Feminine Spirituality
Self-Reliance
There comes a time when we have to accept help because nobody can do everything all by themselves, and then there comes a time when we have to have faith in ourselves to handle things. Self-reliance means using your own resources and powers instead of someone else's. If you don't try to be self-reliant, you will never learn what you are capable of. You will never discover your talents or how truly powerful you are. Will you embrace self-reliance as a virtue? When will you swallow your pride and ask for help even if you embrace self-reliance?
Honor
Honor is a combination of honesty, being respectful, and having a healthy amount of pride. It can also mean that you respect other people. To hold yourself to a sense of honor means that you have high moral standards that you strive to live up to. Honor can mean doing the right thing just for the sake of doing it even if you don’t get credit. Honor is one thing we do for our dead and you can read about ways to honor them here: Honoring the Dead
Courage
Courage just means bravery. That doesn't mean that you're never afraid. It just means that you push yourself beyond your fear to do what you feel needs done. Sometimes, to be courageous, it just means having the self-esteem that you believe that you have the ability to accomplish your goals. It can also mean standing up to an enemy that you find threatening. How courageous will you be and how will you balance self-preservation with courage?
Self-Discipline
Self-discipline means that you have the ability to take control of your own feelings and decisions and overcome your own weaknesses. It means you have the ability to resist temptations, and you will work hard to do what you feel is right. Self-discipline will help you to meet goals and it will make you proud of yourself. It takes a lot of self-discipline to not seek revenge- but should you do it anyways? Read here to find out: Getting Revenge- Is It Worth It?
Learning
If you open yourself up to learning, it means you accept that you don't know everything, and you can always improve your knowledge. If you stay open to new knowledge, you are open to growing intellectually and as a person. It will also open you up to new experiences and new opportunities. So be a lifelong learner and include that in your list of virtues.
Self-Respect
Self-respect is feeling confidence in yourself and acting like it. If you respect yourself, you honor your own needs and won't do anything to degrade yourself. It means that you understand your own value, understand that value to be very high, and won't settle for anything less than what you know you deserve. It also means that you will make good choices to make sure that you maintain your dignity. To respect yourself, you should understand yourself- and you can read about understanding and embracing your dark side here: The Unconscious Self: Embracing the Dark Side
Realism
Being realistic is a powerful virtue. It means that you accept the world for the way that it is, and you behave accordingly. When you're trying to find something out, if you're realistic, you will examine all of the evidence, not just the evidence that you like. Being realistic means that you understand you can't have everything exactly the way that you want it and sometimes you have to do what you need to do as opposed to just what you want to do. Being realistic is a virtue because it will help you to live an informed life and help you to function properly and in accordance with the way that things really are.
How to Live a Life of Virtue
The main and only step to leading a virtuous life is to decide which of the virtues you choose to embrace as your own and then follow their lead. Nobody can decide for you what code of conduct you will follow and what you believe to be the highest moral values. Some people will try, but you don't have to let them. People have always had their own views about what virtues were most important and which ones didn't matter. They were no more qualified than you are to decide. You might decide that you want a list like Ben Franklin had, but you don't necessarily have to make your own list. You can just decide in your heart and follow that. Yes, it’s really that easy!
Virtues aren’t everything, but they are good things. Following them helps you make great decisions, treat other people well, and be the best version of yourself you can be. People who don’t live by virtue can lack self-awareness and can behave in ways that hold them back from a happy successful life. May you walk with virtue, living consciously, and being a blessing to all who are fortunate enough to meet you. So Be It.
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