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In Search of Virtue

I don’t often venture into the domain of theology unless I can make a logical or a philosophical connection to it. To that end the rules of argumentation are my link to the subject of this essay with poetic addition. These rules say that any argument must cohere, that is, all of the supporting facts and evidence must be logical extensions of each other, without contradictions, and the analysis must allow for competing conclusions to the extent that they have not been negated by facts or other evidence.

Here is the general argument about the “good” life that I hear on a regular basis that disturbs my logical impulses. It is the belief that each person must avoid the list of sins mentioned in the 10 commandments, that he or she must attend church, and pray on a more or less regular basis. Toss a few dollars into the collection basket and you’ve met your obligations, and you’re on your way to heaven.

Such a narrow point of view completely ignores all the atrocities that are going on in the world, and our obligation to do something about them, while ignoring the less fortunate among us. I am referring to issues such as hunger, disease, famine, pestilence, slavery, terrorism, deforestation, pollution, HIV-Aids, human rights abuses, depletion of energy sources, climate change, global water shortages, land use degradation, and population growth. Are these not moral issues that call out to one and all to resolve? Few of us can be the moral champion of all causes, but silence on the major issues is not neutrality; it is acquiescence to them. “Speak out: All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for men of good will to do nothing” is a rejoinder that could easily have come down from Mt. Sinai with Moses and etched into stone as the 11th commandment.

We probably need to go back and re-think what constitutes the “good” life. Reciting prayers and singing hymns were likely not in Socrates’ repertoire of activities in his search for virtue. More likely he considered such attributes as simplicity, honesty, trustworthiness, humility, humor, generosity, tolerance, courage, and a forgiving heart as having far more importance than the limited notions of virtue often held today by church goers. We might also consider the Golden Rule and our innate knowledge of “the right thing to do” as having more weight in guiding our actions than the pronouncements of clerics.

In recent history Mohandas Gandhi listed the seven deadly sins as “wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, science without humanity, knowledge without character, politics without principle, commerce without morality, and worship without sacrifice.” He was onto something. To his credit he did not add…”or else!”

And so, dear reader, here is my poetic contribution to this subject written without malice but in the hope that it may add something of value to the conversation while elevating in purpose and stature those of us otherwise known as “heathens.”
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Sin

We know it when we see it
It’s the bane of the human soul
It soils the good
Not like it should
Lets the bad take its deadly toll.
But…
Which is worse –
A sin of commission or
A sin of omission?
Aye, there’s the rub
Let’s explore this dichotomy
Not extol it.

We know all about the doer
He takes, robs, thrashes and flails
We know him by his acts
He’s brazen as can be
And he often ends up shackled and in jail.
He breaks the rules and
Steals your jewels
Who in blazes can trust him?
Not you, and definitely not me.

But the other kind of sinner
He’s harder to detect
He goes to church
And sings those hymns
You simply would not suspect
Dressed in Sunday best
He walks the line
But…
Judge him not for who knows
What it is that defines a virtuous life?
Does someone who lifts our spirits, enriches our lives,
and propels us forward on the road to moral,
intellectual, and spiritual enlightenment
count in our scheme of things?
Are not simplicity, courage, honesty, trustworthiness,
humility, humor, tolerance, and a forgiving heart
virtues as valuable as singing songs of praise?
Are speaking out and supporting efforts against
hunger, disease, famine, pestilence, slavery,
terrorism, deforestation, pollution, HIV-Aids,
human rights abuses, depletion of energy sources,
climate change, global water shortages, land use
degradation, and population growth not moral issues
that soil our souls and cast our otherwise good intentions
onto the road to hell?

None of us can be the moral champion to all causes,
But silence about them is not neutrality;
It is acquiescence to them.
And so, always seeking to improve
Desiring a kind and forgiving heart
Who dares to condemn and then pretend
Greater knowledge or more insight
Into the lasting virtues?—
Still, there is something about your
Judgmental demeanor and
Your proselytizing that set off my
Logic violation detector
And I am having a hard time
Resetting it to zero.