Introduction
The word virtue is usually misunderstood as an easy concept in religion and morality. It is a forgotten word in the age of computers and the internet. Many have taken it for granted, and only those interested in philosophy or religion are somewhat interested in it.
We have to contemplate that this is what the world needs now. The peoples of the world should go back to basics, study philosophy and religion, know the virtues of their own religion. The global village, as authors and commentators contend, is a complicated world with less morality and virtues, and more material things.
Virtue is a forgotten word. What tradition and religion have taught is gone. The teachings of the old and the wise seemed buried in the annals of yesteryears.
Virtues define the way Christians live the teachings of Christ or the way Muslims live the teachings of Mohammed; or the teachings of Buddha, and so with other religious sects and denominations.
St. Augustine, a doctor of the Catholic Church, refers to virtue as something that connotes power or strength. Since power usually connotes activity, then virtue is an act. Virtue has a goal. One who possesses virtue is a person who practices his/her faith because the practice of virtue is directed to another. The act of possessing and directing virtue is a good act. Since it is an act, therefore it is directed to something and to someone, not just to the self. (Aquinas, 2010, p. 3)
An emerging concept is the phrase ‘virtue ethics’ or the need of the present generation the return to virtue ethics, which is characterized by focusing on character traits of individuals in their relationship with others or to the community in general. This includes personal commitments and community traditions. (Kotva, 1996, p. 12)
Virtue ethics means three things: first, it is human nature as it really is; second, it is human nature in how it can be; and third, those which pertain to habits, our talents and capabilities, interests, likes, and the things that should not be done. There are likes, capabilities, and talents in us as humans that should not be encouraged because they are directed to our very nature and would not result in an acceptable end. Virtue theory deals with who we are and who we could be, according to the standards of morality as acceptable by the majority. (Kotva, 1996, p. 17)
Most ideas and concepts of virtue are taken from the moral teachings of the bible of Christians and in other moral teachings of other religions, like the Quran of the Muslims, or the teachings of Buddha. We can understand that moral teachings are the basis for most ideas and concepts of virtue practices. (Oakley & Cocking, 2001, p. 7)
The virtue of courage
Courage, or fortitude, is one of the cardinal virtues, along with prudence (also known as wisdom), justice, and temperance. (Mitch, 2000, p. 13) The Event Temples’ website calls it the heart virtues. They are however almost similar. They are only different when it comes to terminology. The concept, the ideas, the philosophies, origin, and evolution are the same. Virtues come from the sacredness of man, but they have to come out before they become virtues. It is the same as saying that man is by nature good. He comes from the ‘good’ (God) and will return to God.
I would like to focus on the virtue of courage. This is courage in the truest sense of the word because it leads to many other virtues. Courage is strength, leadership, or love. To me, virtue always bears a religious connotation, although there are many people who possess ‘good’ virtues, and yet they don’t have a particular religion at all. Be that as it may, courage has made martyrs, and enabled the first Christians, Muslims, and others, to stand and form their respective community of believers. Courage is the world needs now. Let me expound on this.
Courage is the most celebrated of all the virtues when we talk of political virtues. Sacred books of religions of the world are filled with stories of courage of the people of God. Moses showed extreme courage when he led the people from bondage in Egypt to the land God promised of them. Other leaders after Moses also showed courage. His successor Aaron did the same. Leaders of the world practice courage, although some do not know how to do it correctly.
Indeed courage can motivate and give justice to the oppressed, and protect the innocent and those deprived of justice. Citizens with enough courage risk their lives for love of country and fellow citizens. Bravery, which is synonymous with courage, is one of the prerequisites of a good citizen in a country wanting heroes during times of war and calamities. Courage is a trait needed for soldiers so that they can protect their country from foreign invaders (Rabieh, 2006, p. 1). Expressing one’s own dignity is synonymous with courage (Meyer, 2002, p. 195).
But in the present age, courage, like any other virtue, is taken for granted. Christians do not see this virtue as too important anymore. (Spiegel, 2004, p. 61) In other religions like Islam, courage has been practiced with a remarkable dedication that many of those who have it are being feared by other religions.
It came to me in one of my moments of reflection, a question that I have to answer myself – is courage an expression of anger? If that were so then it is not a virtue, because killing as an expression of anger is not a virtue. Or if you inflict injury or death to others in the name of religion or belief, is that courage? In one of my face-to-face moments with God, I asked him straightforward, “Then why are ‘they’ doing this?” Is it because they have courage? Is the courage involved in what ‘they’ are doing? Is virtue involved in it?
War is caused by anger. This is not courage practiced by soldiers. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is caused by anger met with anger. The terrorists who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, were angry at the American people. But then, the United States met anger with anger.
In my moment of contemplation, I closed my eyes to the world. The answer was there – courage is learned with good intentions. Those who know how to close their eyes and pray and contemplate are given the courage to help others who are suffering. (Jamison, 2006, p. 44)
There is a different meaning to courage; a distinct, honorable, and religious meaning that all of us should understand.
This is a different meaning of courage – loving and caring for those who are suffering in one form of courage. The likes of Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pope Benedict XVI, they have courage in their heart because they love the poor and the downtrodden. (Aguilar, 2008, p. 158)
Those Buddhists and the so-called contemplatives who embrace the life of solitude but who care for those who are suffering, victims of war and injustice, they are a few of the most courageous people. Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Merton, the Pope, and other religious personalities, renounce violence, injustice, and human rights. They conduct interreligious dialogue, exchange ideas between religions and faiths for the purpose of discussing the subject of love, non-violence, and solutions to the problems and ills of the world. They are apolitical. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist who advocated the end of the war in Vietnam through peaceful means and did not take sides, but the Vietnamese government threatened to kill him. Interreligious dialogues have been conducted by Buddhist and Christian monks purposely to talk about religion, peace, and love. (King, 2001, p. 7)
These people want to change the world in their own little way. It takes a lot of courage to do that. Thich Nhat Hanh’s ideas and reflections on non-violence and on the subject of Engaged Buddhism are widely accepted and admired throughout the world, and he has been acclaimed as one of the best sources on the topic of peace and reconciliation. We should be concerned and engaged in the suffering of the people, especially those who are caught in the middle of a war. We have to attend to the victims of war and violence because by doing so we practice the teachings of Buddha.
There are instances that I take courage in asking the topic of virtues, with philosophical underpinnings. I have always thought that courage is for something that is worthy, something that is executed for a particular honorable goal.
Our energetic heart which contains the six virtues refers to courage as the zeal of valor. In fact, courage is also linked to the other five forms of expression, as mentioned in the Event Temples. (Event Temples, 2007, p. 1)
I believe the energetic heart awakens the soul. Courage then is an expression of our energetic heart and it is done so with a feeling of honor and valor and not anger. When we use courage, or if we practice courage as a virtue, we are using our heart not our head, because virtue comes from the heart.
A Personal experience
Let me relate a personal experience that awakened my feeling of courage, which to me tested my personal questions in this material world. Let me get back to the topic of soldiers who need enough courage in fulfilling their duties. It is taught and learned in training, the virtue of courage. It is very important in the life of a soldier because he cannot perform the duties and responsibilities of a soldier without courage. The training of a soldier demonstrates that virtues can be taught and learned. A soldier undertakes training but he has to take it by heart, make training an experience of a life that his soul can feel it, and express the virtues he has learned as a soldier.
A short stint in military training (as a student) allowed me to experience the sacrifices of other people who dedicate their lives to the service of their country. It was a unique experience, to be trained and pressured in doing things you do not like to do. This brief experience was only interrupted for reasons I cannot divulge, but I learned to experience the virtue of courage which cannot be taken out of me now.
Now I can express myself, my soul’s ‘feelings’ through courage, without being angry. Now I can defend my ideas and what I believe is right without being emotional. Courage is not about being great. It is about standing firm for something you believe. It is the opposite or the absence of cowardice. But it is not all about fighting or having guns. As mentioned earlier, the most courageous people like the Pope, Thomas Merton, and Mother Teresa, do not know what a gun is, but they love and fight for the sick and the poor, and they do not have arms or any weapon to defend themselves except their honest and sincere prayer to help.
In the world of business, you need a lot of courage.
There was this co-worker, a leader like me, who seemed to be always in control, not giving me (us) any time to provide suggestions, improvements, or probable ideas for our organization. She said she was senior to many of us, and so her ideas should prevail. Of course, we all reacted, but sometimes we have to effect change at a slow pace or mellow manner. If not, many things would be affected. In this situation, we wanted to change not only on the individual in question but for all of us.
Of course, this person should not be tolerated, but my point was to focus not only on one person but on all of us – because we are in an organization and we are working as a team and everyone should regard the other as a co-worker, or a brother or a sister. We cannot change always for the sake of changing. We cannot go on, diverge, from the normal path, just because change has to be done. There are people and things that must go to create timing. I did not react instantly, not because I did not have the courage but because I wanted him to realize that courage is not a virtue to control others. But it was also a period of self-awareness, referred to by Cam Caldwell (2010). I was expressing myself in response to this person’s actions.
We had a confrontation; mine was a sincere outpouring of opinion that I wanted to share and not a feeling of holier-than-thou attitude. I just wanted to let him know that he had courage in the wrong way. I was a bit successful because after that there were changes in the office.
It became a wonderful experience for me. I think I displayed courage in that instance when it was needed most. What came out was a friendship that was never expected. We both came out of our comfort zones. Through courage, which was not only ‘my’ own courage but his too, we have formed a bond among ourselves, including the members of our team. Now, this bond enabled us to give out what we can to contribute to our organization. It has become a motivating factor. Our joined talents and capabilities have made all of us successful.
Experiences teach us many lessons in life. Virtues sometimes emerge as an outcome of the many things that happen day by day. There are times I think that it is just a coincidence, but these are instruments or ‘tools’ of God that allow us to learn from it.
My life has changed from the time I realized I had courage. This pivotal event did not come to me when I said I experienced a sort of military training. Having the virtue of courage is like a transformation on my part. My inner thoughts, my intuition, and perhaps my soul are in unison, trying to awaken me in saying that virtues have been here inside. You just have to let it come out.
Is it not wonderful to hear when someone addresses you and say, “You are a courageous man”? That is nice to hear because the sentence has many meanings. It could mean you have a compassionate heart, or you’re a brave person.
Courage has allowed my heart to look at life beyond the secluded corners of my home. It motivated me to see my neighbors with compassion and be one with those in suffering. Courage is a virtue that incorporates other virtues like compassion, and even love. It has moved me to work and fight for others, and to help uplift the lives of those who are suffering.
References
Aguilar, M. (2008). Contemplating God, changing the world. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. p. 158.
Aquinas, T. (2010). Disputed questions on virtue. J. Hause & C. E. Murphy, (Trans.). Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. p. 3.
Caldwell, C. (2010). Identity, self-awareness, and self-deception: ethical implications for leaders and organizations. Journal of Business Ethics (2009) 90:393-406. Web.
Event Temples (2007). Living from the heart. Web.
Jamison, C. (2006). Finding sanctuary: monastic steps for everyday life. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 44.
King, R. H. (2001). Thomas Merton and Thich Nhat Hanh: engaged spirituality in an age of globalization. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. p. 7.
Kotva, J. J. (1996). The Christian case for virtue ethics. Washington, D. C.: Georgetown University Press. pp. 12-7.
Meyer, M. J. (2002). Dignity is a (modern) virtue. In D. Kretzmer & E. Klein, Eds. The concept of human dignity in human rights discourse. The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International. p. 195.
Mitch, S. (2000). Courageous virtue. United States of America: Emmaus Road Publishing. p. 13.
Oakley, J. & Cocking, D. (2001). Virtue ethics and professional roles. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. p. 7.
Rabieh, L. (2006). Plato and the virtue of courage. United States of America: The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1.
Spiegel, J. (2004). How to be good in a world gone mad: living a life of Christian virtue. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications. p. 61.