Getting it Straight

When we talk about moral virtue, we are focusing on what makes the human soul work at its highest potential. The soul was designed for happiness and that is our objective. Virtuous behavior lies between two extremes we call vices. Virtue therefore is an intermediate between excess and defect. It is not easy to hit this target but it is very easy to miss. Anyone can get angry or spend money. But it is much harder to apply it to the right person, to the right amount, in the right way, at the right time, with the right motive. This makes goodness a rarity and something that is appreciated and admired.

Sometimes in order to hit the target, we have to over-correct. We can’t expect perfection due to the difficulty of the task. Our desires can carry us in the wrong directions. But we can also make our lives miserable by beating ourselves up all the time. Sometimes an over-correction is good to pull ourselves back where we belong, but it shouldn't be necessary all the time. It takes extra effort to straighten a bent rod but once it is strait the job is done.

Although pleasure isn't always a bad thing, it is always what we gravitate towards. That is why we have to pay attention to what brings us pleasure and what its effect will be on our lives. A person who is dismissive about this gets in trouble. As much as we hate it, we have to watch pleasure suspiciously so it doesn't lead us astray. We avoid the painful things automatically.

Each individual case is different and finding the mean at times is a matter of perception between two parties. We want someone to be manly by using anger but might also call them rash and bad tempered. How long and with what intensity should we use our anger? The person who doesn't deviate from good is never blamed but a person who deviates is noticed and even admired for it at times. But how far of a deviation is allowed before he is in violation? It all depends on particular facts and perceptions. We can say however that the middle is always safest place: Don’t be a coward or bad tempered. Sometimes we see that pushing the limits is needed but there are boundaries to pushing the limits that we call “crossing the line”. A person can either lighten up or man up. These same properties are seen in all our passions.

We are now done with book 2 of Ethics.   

I would like to say to my Christian friends that understanding this used to be required for anyone to become a leader in the community. I became interested through writings of our founders and C.S. Lewis. Our post-modern church teaching focuses on quick fixes such as revivals and deliverance. Even in public schools, experiences and exposure are more important than understanding principles. The focus of education used to be ordered thoughts and creating a society that is not easily deceived. Maybe I was born in the wrong era but this is like organizing the most important toolbox, our minds…