Virtue is a Muscle
I am pretty confident that if I asked all the people I know how they would describe themselves in goodness terms, to a person they would say they were at least “above average good”.
But when asked how does one get that way or, what can I do to become a better person, there would be lots of ums and hums, right after I rolled my eyes in response to “well, going to church might make you a better person”.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Paul, from his letter to the Philippians
I also want to live a long and fruitful life. I have learned that behavior has consequences. If I eat lots of slightly burned chocolate-chip cookies (my favorite) and crème brulee (my other favorite) every day, it is unlikely I will live a long and fruitful life. So I have to bike ride.
I love to ride a bike. Sometimes I like to ride a long ways; miles and miles. No one asking me questions, bugging me to do something, just me and my IPod. Life is Good.
I’ve also discovered that to enjoy long bike rides, I have to prepare. I have to practice. I have to deny myself semi-burned, chocolate-chip cookies and ride hard sometimes, ride long sometimes, and even work out at the Y in between.
To become virtuous, I have to practice virtue. It’s like a muscle.
I want to be a person of virtue. I find that very attractive. To be that person, I must do and think in honorable ways, pursue truth, choose purity, seek and enjoy beauty.
Figuring out what is excellent is not all that hard. It’s just that I tend to choose what either doesn’t require much of me or those things that others suggest as popular.
Maybe it’s like working out. It’s a choice and I feel a lot better after it’s over. I guess it’s a question of how bad I want that feeling.
