The Duality of Virtue

I know I was supposed to write about diving into the unconscious this week, but life got very hectic and I made no progress. However, here is an unpublished essay from the vault. See you next week for our regular scheduled programming.

Virtue is the aim of a meaningful life.

However, as truisms often do, the word and even the notion of virtue itself seems to have lost all meaning to centuries of cliched repetition.

After all, what is virtue? Some might say it is being good, righteous, or a state of being attained through a strict set of rules that will guide lives into a net positive energy with the universe.

Uncooperatively, all of these are right. Nevertheless, we find ourselves back where we started, for what defines good? Righteousness?

Even religion who aims to highlight archetypes does not necessarily define what it aims at. These titles are shallow and victims to the same murderer. Oh, repetition, you destroyer of meaning.

So how, then, is this driving force of existence to be defined?

For who can aim at the target through a blurry lens? Is virtue itself not to be defined and forever waver its definition with the storms of our perspectives?

Oh God, stop such atrocities! Let us instead define and set the parameters to those guiding lights of life.

Virtue is found in the wicked man redeemed into an existence of profound meekness.

Virtue is the soldier's sheathed sword.

Who can be good if he is incapable of evil?

Just as cold exists in the shadow of heat, good exists only coupled with the possibility of evil.

That is why God gives humans a choice in the story of Adam and Eve.

God invites a snake into His perfect creation to tempt the humans into rebellion.

Why allow the snake inside the garden?

Why plant a tree in the first place?

Because only then, in the midst of temptation, is good a possibility.

The tree was planted, and the snake allowed entry so as to offer a choice to the humans; whenever goodness is a possibility, so is evil, and in this particular story, evil has fallen in favor with the dice.

Goodness can only manifest itself as the counterpart of evil.

A coin does not come one-sided.

Dichotomy must present itself amid choice.

We should not ask ourselves whether we do evil or not but whether we are capable of it in the first place.

I assure you, murders would be much higher if the possibility of prevailing against the victim was always 100% and the possibility of being held accountable by the law was always 0%. Murder and every other form of manifested evil would skyrocket.

Virtue cannot exist in an environment without consequences.

It is truly heartbreaking to think that the cause of our seemingly righteous existence could simply mean that we are too weak or cowardly to face the consequences of our evil actions.

That is why absolute power corrupts absolutely, consequences cannot reach the exempt, and their true character will manifest itself, and more often than not, that character is a lot darker than imagined.

That is where virtue lies.

In that choice to do good despite the possibility of endless evil without consequence.

A virtuous man is a wicked man with self-control. It is the man who, despite his wretched heart's wishes, chooses to do good.

Virtue is meek. It is the warrior in the garden. It is the monster who chooses to ignore his flesh and bless the world.

Thus gentlemen, let us not judge ourselves merely by our actions but by the very inclinations of our hearts that we may find the darkness inside us and starve it of its every desire.

Keep our sword sheathed when others do us wrong.

Be honest when a lie is convenient.

Bless when a curse is tempting.

Heal when destruction is fitting.

Donating when stealing seems more reasonable.

Choosing good when the dice call for evil.

Be a monster, gentlemen, be capable of it all, let every possibility of evil in, but choose good every time.

No greater virtue is found than in this.