Journey into Insight Chapter 7

‘Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your souls’ (Matt. 11:29)

Virtues and vices are aspects of human behaviour that form part of a person's character. A virtue is conducive to personal growth and long term happiness. A vice does the opposite. Much of the teachings of Christ, the earlier prophets and the founders of the other great religions, were devoted to communicating with people on these subjects. Although virtues are not uniquely Christian, they are nonetheless important to the practice of Christianity. It is not intended to discuss them here in detail as they are dealt with extensively in the Bible, the Koran, the Buddhist writings and other similar works. I propose simply to make a few comments on some of the important ones.

The Meanings of Virtues

Prudence may be defined as due caution and preparedness. Although it is often associated with proverbs such as, ‘look before you leap’, it is a broader concept that includes the principles of safety, preventive maintenance and timely action. It also implies constant vigilance, alertness and being ready to meet both dangers and opportunities. Christ often emphasised the need to avoid becoming complacent because we do not know when we could be called upon. (Matt.24:43-25:13)
Justice is the consistent application of the same standards to all people, including ourselves, without discriminating on the basis of irrelevant personal characteristics. It includes a sense of responsibility to repair damage or make adequate compensation where appropriate. Within the framework of love, justice, like responsibility, is part of the minimum standard. Without a sense of justice in people, it is impossible to have a just system, which is essential to lasting peaceful coexistence. Revenge should never be confused with the pursuit of justice as it is based on feelings such as pride rather than a love for all people involved. Instead of wasting one’s life indulging an obsession with ‘getting even’, it is more fruitful to believe that, in the eternal context, we can never be permanently harmed by anything others do to us, but only by what we do to others and ourselves. There is an old Chinese proverb: ‘Who sets out in revenge, should dig two graves before he goes.’
To be poor in spirit, is to be detached from material possessions and the values of the world. We need to use material things and not be controlled by them. It is very difficult to grow internally when the things we treasure most are temporary and insecure.
Fortitude is stamina or the ability to withstand hardship and persecution. In difficult circumstances it can be essential to physical, mental and emotional survival.
Persistence is the most important key to success in achievement. At times we may need an unlimited willingness to tolerate repeated frustration, and ‘giving up’ has long been recognised as the guaranteed pathway to failure.
The ancient Greeks had a saying, ‘Everything in moderation, even moderation!’ Any complex system or organism requires a balance to be maintained within certain limits, with occasional stretching to extend its possibilities. The human being is no exception.
Mercy is restraint in enforcing justice for ourselves. Those who are seen to act mercifully are more likely to receive mercy themselves, and those who receive it, or observe it, may show their appreciation.
Humility is the ability to see oneself in perspective and accept the truth about oneself. A modest portrayal of ourselves is also very useful in helping to manage the expectations of people around us. The opposite is pride, one form of which is an oversensitivity to one's self image where the associated anxiety can become a severe handicap to freedom of action.
Generosity is the opposite of acquisitiveness, possessiveness, envy and misplaced jealousy. It reveals a greater sense of internal security, generates extended harmony and benefits others in the process. Jealousy is the fear of losing something one values, while envy is the desire to possess what belongs to someone else.
Cleanliness of heart is the opposite of any obsession with superficial pleasures and values or operating with hidden agendas. In the past, many ‘Christian’ teachers confined their interpretation of this virtue to sexual behaviour, often placing so much emphasis on it that their negative puritanical attitudes led to severe psychological problems among their followers. The opposite vice, lust, is not to be confused with normal sexual attraction, but involves the tendency to see human beings as objects to be acquired, possessed or used for pleasure without respect for their personal dignity as individuals.
Gentleness is the ability to treat things well. Christ taught that, ‘Happy are the gentle, for they shall inherit the land’ (Matt. 5:5). If we interpret land to mean ‘resources’ then it is reasonable that those who are gentle should be given control, for then our resources will not be ruthlessly exploited and destroyed as they often are. A gentle person generally does not use force or harsh measures unless it is necessary.
Diligence is the willingness to work, that is, to do meaningful and purposeful activity. As such, it is the crucial link between our resources and our prosperity, material or otherwise, and appears to be essential not only for survival but for personal growth.
Patience is more than the inclination to wait for the appropriate time to act most effectively. It is also the motivation to pay due attention to detail where necessary.
Faith, love and courage have already been discussed, however it is worth adding that courage is not the absence of fear but the readiness to act with faith and love even when we are fearful.

The list is not exhaustive and the interpretations are not intended to be complete, nor are they necessarily the only reasonable ones. However, regardless of how precisely one chooses to define the concepts, their importance to long term well-being is firmly established. The old proverb: ‘Sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny,’ describes one of the most common pathways by which virtues and vices become ingrained in a person's way of thinking and acting. Beyond their direct impact on the life of the individual, it is interesting that from the social point of view, virtues are generally conducive to attraction, closeness and harmonious interaction between people, whereas vices tend to encourage friction, separation and distance.

Vices in Perspective

When situations arise that threaten some of our values, they can give rise to strong feelings such as anger, hate, jealousy, and other ‘negative’ emotions, most of which are rooted in fear. We were given the useful ability to feel them for very good reasons. While they are not immoral or evil in themselves, we are responsible for the way we respond to them. Anger is a very good example. A person who feels, shows or acts on anger in rare and serious situations where basic justice is at stake is not behaving immorally, nor is he under the control of a vice. Even Christ responded in this way when he drove the money changers out of the temple (John 2:14-16). Anger turns into a vice when it gets out of control or becomes a habitual reaction to threats, irritations and adversities. In extreme cases such people can be very difficult and dangerous to live with, and if they are ‘stuck’ in situations they find undesirable, the constant state of anger (or any other negative emotion) almost invariably undermines their health. When they realise how damaging and unproductive the tendency is, they may try to suppress it. They might remain outwardly calm but seethe inside, or bottle it up until they cannot contain it any longer and some minor incident results in a major outburst. Repression rarely works in the long term.

The key to overcoming these habits starts with examining our values. If we can reduce the number of things we regard as really important, there will be fewer perceived threats and less cause for excessively strong feelings. We then need to work on developing more skill in investigating, managing or avoiding undesirable situations, and responding in constructive ways. What is most imperative, however, is to cultivate the habit of faith in God’s love, and confidence that things will turn out well in the long term without our over-reacting.

Other vices such as greed, gluttony and lust are associated with obsessive wants. The pattern, however, is the same in that there is generally an association with fear (of losing the opportunity?) and the formation of a pernicious habit that is out of control. Unfortunately, much of the political and economic system is driven by the prevalence of vices. Economists tell us that greed is good, creating employment and wealth. Lies and broken promises are expected as normal in the world of politics. In business, deception and exploitation are endemic and widely regarded as acceptable, and occupations such as prostitution and gambling are even labelled as ‘industries’. The reality is that vices sometimes work rather well offering big advantages - in the short term!

Vice and Sin

The connection between vice and sin is an interesting one. If an artificial distinction can be made between a vice and a corresponding sin, then the vice is the inclination or the habit and the sin is the action. Our proneness to vices is not necessarily the result of having committed any sins ourselves. It is an outcomes of what is often called ‘original sin’ namely our state of alienation, disharmony and disunity which are part of the inherited human condition. In this respect, we differ from one another only in our most prominent areas of weakness. Furthermore, acting under the influence of a vice involves ‘committing sin’ only to the extent that the person has reasonable control over what he does, and if the consequences of resisting are tolerable. These days, established vices tend to be seen as psychological problems rather than moral issues, although the behaviour that follows from them must still be taken seriously. The reality remains that there is a vicious circle between vice and sin as there is between any repeated action and habit. Thus it is hardly surprising that Christ warned, ‘whoever commits sin is a slave to sin’ (John 8:34).

Appropriate Application of Virtues

Life is complex and a considerable degree of ‘automation’ is necessary and desirable both in the physical world and in human behaviour. This is why we have reflexes and the ability to develop habits. In general, it is far safer if the habit is a virtue rather than a vice, like automatically using the brake in a dangerous traffic situation instead of the accelerator. However we remain responsible and therefore it is best that we retain the ability to override even good habits and exercise control.

It would be very difficult to argue the value of a vice as we have defined it, but one is often unaware that virtues can sometimes become liabilities. People have an inclination to use their own particular talents to try to solve every problem that confronts them, regardless of how appropriate those abilities may be in the situation. Virtues are prone to the same pattern, and two important things follow from this. Firstly, all virtues are important and no single one provides a universal formula. Every tool in the kit is there for a reason. Secondly, like all tools, ultimately we must control them and not let them control us. As with our talents, we must develop sufficient discernment to know where a particular virtue is counter-productive (Eccl 3:1-8). Christ was very gentle by nature, but he also knew when to use force.

In the pursuit of lasting happiness, the area of virtues and vices is probably the one in which personal change is most necessary and difficult. The subject of directing our efforts and making changes will be addressed further in the next chapter.