1.
moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.
2.
conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethicalprinciples; uprightness; rectitude.
3.
chastity; virginity: to lose one's virtue.
5.
a good or admirable quality or property: the virtue of knowingone's weaknesses.
So this is what virtue is. But I bet you all already knew that. If not in so many words. Many of us grew up with the tale of Pinocchio as portrayed by Walt Disney, the puppet who wanted to be a real boy who would have to listen to his "conscience" in the form of Jiminy Cricket.
Unfortunately we don't have an adorable little bug, to bug (yes pun intended) to tell us right from wrong in a memorable little jingle. We have to do that task ourselves.
We try to excuse our actions, saying that it was the only way... but ask yourself the only way to what? Where is it that you are going that is so imperative. What exactly are you accomplishing?
Society is created by all who take part in it. To provide an order to things, an order in which we can safely and productively interact with others. By acting against the best interests of the society we harm ourselves, because we depend on others and they depend on us. Deep down we fundamentally know this to be true. Not only for the betterment of ourselves, but also to retain that which makes us human.
In the Soviet system political prisoners would usually be held in solitary confinement for months at a time. With no light or human social interaction their minds would almost always breakdown, allowing the prisoner to be remolded into a happy and compliant citizen. The power of the state to do this allowed them to keep the people weak and deprived of the necessary will to unite, and overcome their oppression. Because they were able to keep the people divided and in fear they were unable to to come together, unable to unite, they were never able to become strong enough to overthrow the system until Solidarity.
My point is that society exists as long as we give it the power to do so. But it can't be done alone, it only takes one person to light a match it takes the multitude of the masses to fan the flames. And one can't say that somebody else should do it either those who can carry the torch must do so.
Unfortunately we don't have an adorable little bug, to bug (yes pun intended) to tell us right from wrong in a memorable little jingle. We have to do that task ourselves.
We try to excuse our actions, saying that it was the only way... but ask yourself the only way to what? Where is it that you are going that is so imperative. What exactly are you accomplishing?
Society is created by all who take part in it. To provide an order to things, an order in which we can safely and productively interact with others. By acting against the best interests of the society we harm ourselves, because we depend on others and they depend on us. Deep down we fundamentally know this to be true. Not only for the betterment of ourselves, but also to retain that which makes us human.
In the Soviet system political prisoners would usually be held in solitary confinement for months at a time. With no light or human social interaction their minds would almost always breakdown, allowing the prisoner to be remolded into a happy and compliant citizen. The power of the state to do this allowed them to keep the people weak and deprived of the necessary will to unite, and overcome their oppression. Because they were able to keep the people divided and in fear they were unable to to come together, unable to unite, they were never able to become strong enough to overthrow the system until Solidarity.
My point is that society exists as long as we give it the power to do so. But it can't be done alone, it only takes one person to light a match it takes the multitude of the masses to fan the flames. And one can't say that somebody else should do it either those who can carry the torch must do so.
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