Virtues
It is stated that a “virtue is a
moral habit” that enables one to achieve his or her values (Landauer & Rowlands, 2001) . My values are those that I strive to attain
based on my notions of morals and ethics.
After reading Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues, I considered the virtues
that I strongly believe I possess; the virtues of resolution and industry. The first, resolution, as Franklin had
defined is to “perform without fail what you resolve” (Public Broadcasting Service, n.d.) . Synonyms for resolution are purpose,
determination and perseverance. I
believe the aforementioned traits summize how I have lived my life.
The second virtue that I strongly
believe I possess is ‘industry’. Benjamin
Franklin described ‘industry’ as that in which one loses no time (Public Broadcasting Service, n.d.) . He further added, “Be always employed in
something useful. Cut off all
unnecessary actions” (Public Broadcasting Service, n.d.) . I always tell myself to be “productive”. I always tell my kids to be productive (much
to their annoyance). However, I did not
always think this way. I had experienced
a significant event, when I had lost a friend in combat, that I realized the
frailty and impermanence of life. Thus,
I am constantly compelled to achieve something, no matter big or small.
The
virtues I mentioned above are demonstrated in the following examples in my
life. I am currently pursuing a Master’s
degree and train/compete in martial arts.
Both of these endeavors are nothing that I have to/am required to
do. I want to do them. I choose not to be timid with opportunity and
to have no regret with an unfulfilled life.
Yet, I understand that possessing a
few virtues does not make me a virtuous person. Franklin wrote of at least 13
virtues that one ought to have to be a person of good character (Public Broadcasting Service, n.d.) . I wrote that I strongly believe I possess the
virtues of resolution and industry. I
feel the same with the virtues of order and cleanliness. However, after taking the virtue quiz, I
learned that there are some virtues that I need to improve upon and include in
my daily life – the virtues of sincerity and tranquility.
To have sincerity is to “think
innocently and justly” (Public Broadcasting Service, n.d.) . I believe this relates to how I judge
people. I discussed in this course’s current
Module about my biases towards others. I
admitted that I am not free of bias – I judge others against my standard of
“truths” i.e. how one should behave and/or act.
However, it is asserted that the “truth” can only be recognized through
things such as context, perspective, empathy, and self-reflection to name a few
(LaFollette, 2007) .
In order to develop sincerity in my daily life, I must reflect upon my
assumptions, misconceptions, and/or prejudices towards others and get to know the other person.
Another virtue that I seemed to fall
short on is tranquility. A person who is
tranquil is “not disturbed at trifles or at accidents common or unavoidable” (Public Broadcasting Service, n.d.) . The quiz results declared to not sweat the
small stuff. Developing this virtue will
most definitely be a challenge to me.
Many of my professional and educational experiences and teaching have
conditioned me to pay attention to detail.
However, I do recognize that not every detail is important and in the
context of life, I ought to pay more attention to the things that really
matter. From another perspective,
tranquility can also mean finding personal peace. The Dalai Lama XIV once said, “Only the development
of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and
happiness we all seek” (Good Reads, n.d.) .
References
Good
Reads. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.goodreads.com: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/tranquility
LaFollette, H.
(2007). The practice of ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Landauer, J.,
& Rowlands, J. (2001). Retrieved from www.importanceofphilosophy.com:
http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Ethics_Virtue.html
McKee, A.,
Boyatzis, R., & Johnston, F. (2008). Becoming a resonant leader.
Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.
Public
Broadcasting Service. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.pbs.org:
http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/pop_virtues_list.html
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