Shame on you

We consider virtue the application of our passions that produce the best character traits. Shame is a feeling that accompanies mistakes. Different kinds of dishonor cause physical responses. A person who fears will turn pale while someone who is ashamed will blush. So both have a physical manifestation but we still consider them emotions.

It is expected that young people will feel shame frequently since they haven’t perfected their character and make a lot of mistakes. It is a good gauge for them and it restrains them from doing wrong. As a result, we praise them for being ashamed. Older people don’t feel shame as often since they make fewer mistakes due to maturity and it seems out of the norm. It is the same for someone we considered of good character since shame is the consequence of bad actions and we don’t expect it out of them. It is more of a shock for a good person to do something bad than it is for a bad person. There are things that are truly bad and others that are bad because of societal norms. Either will produce shame and should be avoided so a person can be confident among his peers. We are at the end of a study concerning popularity after all. To feel confident at doing wrong acts is the mark of a bad person. To do something disgraceful and yet consider it good is absurd. It is odd for a confident and habitually good person to willingly commit bad actions. Shame can be a good thing but only under certain conditions. A good person is more apt to feel disgrace when doing bad things. It seems the better a person’s heart is, the more sensitive one is to shame. This is unlike a virtue. Having shamelessness isn't a virtue since it is bad not to care.  Shame always has an act associated with it. We don’t seek shame as a virtue but see it as a product of wrongdoing. Self-restraint isn't a virtue in itself either but it is a mixed state where every person has strengths and weaknesses, similar to shame, where certain things bother some people more than others. We will address this in more detail later but first an important foundation must be laid to increase understanding and confidence within ourselves and toward others.…Justice. This is the start of book five...